The Pretenders
by Showna EJ
Summary: Remus and Sirius switch places, leaving Sirius to raise Harry. Voldemort continues to attempt to return, and it is up to Sirius, Snape and Amara Vector to find his Horcruxes and destroy them before its too late. HBP spoilers. AU.
1. A Black Hero

**The Pretenders**

**Disclaimer: **Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling and Warner Bros. Certainly not to me.

**Rating: **PG. Sirius may occasionally curse…it would be just like him.

**Pairing: ** Amara Vector/Sirius Black

**Summary:** Remus is originally thought to be the Potters' Secret-Keeper, leaving Sirius a free man and Harry's guardian after Wormtail's betrayal. He adopts Harry as his own and hopes to go on living peacefully forever. But when the Philosopher's Stone is stolen before Harry enters Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Dumbledore sends three of his most trusted members of the Order of the Phoenix: Sirius Black, Professor Amara Vector and Severus Snape to retrieve and destroy all of the Horcruxes before Voldemort can use them to return.

**Author's Note:** If you haven't read _Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince_, this story probably won't make much sense, and there will be a relatively large spoiler. Please come back after completing the novel…which is amazing, by the way.

**Chapter 1- A Black Hero**

_23 October, 1980_

_London, The Ministry of Magic_

The large auditorium, located deep under London in the Ministry of Magic, had been transformed drastically. Normally a sombre and forbidding room, its most frequent use was for the trial of dangerous criminals, which nine times out of ten were captured Death Eaters or soldiers of He Who Must Not Be Named in these dark days. A room that was used to playing host to witches and wizards waiting with bated breath and muttering threateningly under their breath seemed almost crowded and claustrophobic in the present atmosphere. The grey, stone walls were covered in bright fabric and plastered with posters of a handsome wizard with glossy, shoulder length black hair, striking features and laughing grey eyes. He wore what was referred to as his trademark smirk and seemed to be genuinely pleased to be present. The damp floors were covered in plush carpet and the stone benches had been transfigured into hundreds of folding chairs. At the front of the room, where Bartemius Crouch, Head of Magical Law Enforcement, usually presided judgment over dark wizards, had been changed from a simple judge's bench into a full fledged, complete with rich red and gold curtains. At the present time, nothing adorned the stage except a large, mahogany pulpit.

That was not to say that the room was empty. Every seat was full of wizards and witches (a great deal more than normal), all chattering excitedly. Called here today to celebrate the victories of one of the few heroes in the war against You-Know-Who, the wizards had let down their guard and left their sorrows in the back of their minds for a short time. Nearest to the stage were a slew of reporters, from _The Daily Prophet, Witch Weekly, Teen Witch, _even _The Quibbler_ had sent a representative. Most of the reporters had brought along professional photographers, who were pushing their way against the crowd, struggling to set up their overlarge cameras in the perfect position. All cameras were focused on the podium. The reporters had their Quick-Quote pens ready and were even more excited than the numerous females in the crowds.

Only one person in the entire room looked distinctively unhappy. But as the great crowd could not see him at the moment, this bothered no one. Sirius Black was peeking out between the heavy curtains, looking at the horde of reporters and wizards with what could only be called undisguised horror. "Padfoot!" called a friendly voice from behind. "Get back from there. You don't want to ruin your big entrance."

Sirius let the curtains drop and turned to face his dearest friend, James Potter. James was lounging calmly against the back wall of the temporary theatre. His black hair was as messy as ever and falling into his hazel eyes, magnified slightly by his round glasses. "Why did I let you and Dumbledore con me into this, again?" Sirius grumbled.

"I believe you fell for the old 'showing off an Order member will be a good morale booster for everyone,'" James answered quickly, winking merrily at his best friend.

"What a load of crap," Sirius hissed, looking none too pleased. "I would be much better use helping the Fawcetts on the raid of Dolohov's manor in Germany."

"Probably," admitted James. "But the wizarding public needs to be reminded their handsome Auror hero is still fighting the good fight."

"And holding press conferences in his spare time," Sirius sighed heavily. "Why don't they want to see you? You're an Auror…and higher up in the ranking than me. Or, better yet, Dumbledore! The man _leading _the good fight!"

"The only reason I'm higher than you is you're more interested in going off on Order business and raids than actually working for the Ministry. Besides, I'm not half as good-looking as you, which you know damn well. And if you think Dumbledore has time to hold a press conference, why don't you suggest it to him?"

Sirius tried to imagine the look Dumbledore would shoot him if he even alluded to Dumbledore granting a mass interview. For one of the first times, Sirius was sure even his over-active imagination fell well short of the mark. "Point taken," he conceded. "I just hope this doesn't take too long."

"That makes two of us," James agreed. "Lily's making a pot roast."

Sirius' stomach growled at the mention of food. "Merlin, I'm hungry."

"I told you to eat lunch, Padfoot," James chided him, straightening Sirius' tie. Sirius had adopted the clothes he normally wore on missions; dark slacks, a white dress shirt, black vest, red and gold tie, and black overcoat. His wand was sheathed in a specially made scabbard at his side and his dark hair was tied back in a long ponytail at the nape of his neck with a red ribbon. He had gone through many versions of his 'battle armour.' Many of his fellow Order members scoffed, calling it too dressy and asking him what was wrong with robes. But he found the clothes gave him more mobility and made him look impressive- and in both accounts he was correct.

"I did eat lunch, _Prongs,_" Sirius said hotly. "But that was four hours ago, and I'm hungry again."

"Typical," James rolled his eyes.

Before Sirius could reply sharply, Bartemius Crouch, Alastor Moody and the Minister for Magic himself, Millicent Bagnold, joined them. "Well, well, getting nervous for your big interview, I expect, Black?" Bagnold greeted jovially. The Minister had always been kind to Sirius, especially after he entered a special training program under the Head of Aurors, Alastor Moody. Even at his young age, it was whispered loudly that Sirius would be next Head of the Auror Department after Moody retired. Sirius didn't give heed to such nonsense. His only concern was if he would be alive sometime next week.

"As ready as I'll ever be," he answered, not bothering to infuse any sort of enthusiasm into his tone.

Moody chuckled dryly. "I reckon you'd rather be elsewhere, laddie," he observed in his hoarse growl. "And I can't say as I blame you. Damn stupid idea. Dumbledore wanted you on that raid with the Fawcetts."

Bagnold cleared his throat loudly, not looking quite as cheerful. "But, unfortunately, Sirius here works for the Ministry, not Albus Dumbledore. And I'm sure he will find his time spent more enjoyably here this evening." He turned a kindly eye on Sirius. "I requested you, specifically for this little shin-ding, you know. You've been working hard for the Ministry and I knew you would appreciate the break."

Sirius eyed the Minister with undisguised distaste. "With all due respect, _sir_," he said, very little trace of respect in his tones. "My job is to make sure these people wake up in the morning, not to raise their spirits. So I would ask that next time you want to throw a little party…you invite the Weird Sisters. Not me."

Sirius could almost feel James wincing. Since marrying Lily, James had leaned more towards the confinements of good society. He had a family to take care of and had learned to show respect where it was required. But Sirius would ever retain that one tale tell sign of his heritage. He gave respect only where it was deserved, and did not care whom he stepped on, as long as his point was made clear.

James was the only one of the company who showed any signs of disapproval. Moody wore a proud smile for his protégé and Crouch was nodding feverishly, a passion kindled in his dark eyes. "Black is absolutely right," he spoke up for the first time. "Our time would be much better spent bringing these dark wizards to justice. They must pay for what they have done to our society! We cannot waste our time cajoling with the public at conferences and press events!"

Sirius raised an eyebrow in James' direction and there was a glitter in his friend's eyes that Sirius could interpret easily enough. James and he were of one mind on Crouch's so-called 'justice.' No matter how terrible a battle, no matter how often Crouch upbraided them for it, James and Sirius both flat out refused to use the Unforgivable Curses against Death Eaters. Moody looked about to speak up and snarl some sort of reproach at Crouch, but the man continued in his frantic voice. "The Dark Lord is a terrible enemy and must be brought up short! He has no bounds- threatening our most prominent families, no matter what their backgrounds- Muggleborns or Purebloods. He must be stopped!"

"Would you be so quick to stop him if he only threatened Muggleborns?" Moody inquired in a conversation tone, but leaving no one in doubt of the threat concealed therein.

Crouch's tirade was brought short and he fell silent, looking insulted, but perhaps a little abashed. "Well, well, well…" Bagnold rushed into cover up the awkward moment. "I think we've kept them waiting long enough. I'll go introduce you all, shall I?"

Sirius nodded briefly and Moody grunted. Crouch was still holding on to his stony silence, and James had, to Sirius' bewilderment, suddenly become very closemouthed and pale faced. Bagnold bustled off through the curtains to the greeting of loud applause. The four men, all prominent figures in the fight against He Who Must Not Be Named, stood in silence, unable to make small talk. Sirius amused himself with idle reflections. He had stood with these men in numerous battles that appeared hopeless, trusting his life in their hands. They had spent many late nights devising strategies to fool or defeat Voldemort. Yet in situations such as these, they could not even force a conversation.

"We thank you all for coming, and even more for your patience," Bagnold was saying in his blustery voice. "We are entertaining four very important soldiers in the ongoing battle against He Who Must Not Be Named here this evening, one of whom has volunteered to answer any of the questions put forward. I know you're all eager to meet them, so let us begin."

"First, I ask you to welcome, our Head of Magical Law Enforcement Department, and a man whose determination and passion is unrivalled when it comes to the capturing and punishment of Death Eaters and all dark wizards, Mr. Bartemius Crouch."

There was exuberant clapping as Crouch stepped out on to the stage. Despite his somewhat questionable methods, the wizarding community adored the older wizard. Sirius would be willing to bet when Bagnold's term ended in a year, Crouch would become the next Minister for Magic.

"Absolute nutcase," growled Moody, peering out the curtains. "The day he takes rein of this country, is the day it goes straight to the dogs."

"That's not nice!" Sirius chided, sharing conspiratorial glances with James. Few people knew that Sirius, James and their other friend Peter Pettigrew were unregistered Animagus. As it just so happened, Sirius' beast counterpart was a large shaggy mutt.

Moody raised a puzzled eyebrow. "Thought you hated him as much as I do?"

"I don't hate him," Sirius disagreed. "I just severely disagree with his methods."

Moody snorted derisively, then stomped out on to stage, his wooden leg echoing ominously. There was scattered applause, but Sirius knew this wouldn't offend his mentor in anyway. No one in the wizarding world was quite sure what to make of the Head of Auror department, and Alastor Moody liked it that way.

As Bagnold began listing off James' many qualifications, Sirius turned to his old friend. He was disturbed to see James looking just as off-colour as before. "What's the matter, Prongs?"

"Nothing," James said hastily.

"James, if I just met you I'd know something was wrong," Sirius drawled. "You went off colour the minute Crouch started banging on about Voldemort threatening our families and how we have to bring everyone to justice."

"Its nothing," James repeated more firmly.

"Bull," Sirius persisted. "What is…"

"…James Potter!" Bagnold's voice broke into their conversation. James sprang forward, clearly eager to escape Sirius' questions. He left Sirius alone in the dark of the backstage, having nothing to do but listen to his praises being sung by the Minister for Magic.

"Our last guest, and the honoured one of this evening's gathering, has risen quickly through the ranks of our Auror division under the private tutelage of the aforementioned Alastor Moody. He is a powerful wizard, rising out of a family full of Dark Wizards to become one of the sharpest thorns in the foot of He Who Must Not Be Named." Sirius' mouth tightened, as any mention of the Black household was sure to do to him. "He is also a prominent member in the Order of the Phoenix, the famous defence league set up by Headmaster Albus Dumbledore of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"His most famous accomplishments are the capture of Daniel Petersburg and Elizabeth Markle, the rescue of the Argoril family and his infamous break-in to one of You-Know-Who's strongest forts to recover precious Ministry documents the Dark Lord obtained through treachery. Ladies and gentleman, I give you, the man of this hour and many more to come, Sirius Black!"

Reluctance in every bone, Sirius managed to produce the smile mirrored by all of the posters of him plastering the walls and stepped on to the stage. The audience leapt to their feet, applauding and hollering. The cameras flashed madly, almost blinding the wizards on the stage. Bagnold moved back from the pulpit, allowing Sirius to rest his elbows lazily on its desk. The noise continued for some time, and Sirius resisted the urge to scream at those worshipful faces staring up at him. What he did wasn't glorious. He didn't deserve their praise and adoration for managing to avoid death one more time. The men who had fallen, his comrades in arms should be the ones they were screaming for- men who had given their very lives to a cause. But instead Sirius remained, shouldered with the weight of the credit of all of their great deeds.

When the noise did finally die, Sirius blinked around, momentarily unsure of what he was supposed to do next. Fortunately, the many reporters and female fans were quick to bombard him with questions, coming so quickly he hadn't a hope of catching any of them. A professional looking witch from the Ministry stood and held up her hands. Her voice, magnified by the Sonorus charm, echoed over top of the shouted questions. "Please raise your wands if you have a question for, Mr. Black," she ordered. "When I point at you, you may ask your question in a clear voice. Use the Sonorus charm if you have a quiet voice." The auditorium quieted down, and, to Sirius' well-concealed disappointment, almost every wand shot up.

The Ministry official pointed to one of the reporters. "Mr. Black, is it true that you refuse to kill Death Eaters?"

Sirius relaxed, he had been ready for this one. "Not exactly," he responded. "If my life or one of co-workers' lives were in danger and a death curse seemed to me the only way out of the situation, I would take the necessary measures. But, I think I would regret it. How can we point fingers at Voldemort's followers if we are willing to take the same measures? We have only sunk to their level and are no longer fighting for a cause." There was quite a bit of tittering in the crowd when Sirius boldly said Voldemort's name. It was already becoming one normal, civilized people avoided speaking. But Sirius had never claimed to be normal or civilized.

"Are you suggesting some Ministry officials have sunk to the level of He Who Must Not Be Named's supporters?"

"No," Sirius said promptly. "I just believe that certain officials and myself have very different belief systems. Which is perfectly acceptable if both parties are able to work together despite their differences." The words sounded empty to Sirius, even as he said them. He wondered briefly if the entire auditorium was thinking about the insincerity of his words.

The official pointed next to a young male wearing a Tornadoes badge. "I read you played Beater for your house team in Quidditch? Any plans to go pro?"

Sirius grinned. "Definitely not," he answered. "I get quite enough of hitting people during my day job. Though, James Potter was a very useful Chaser on the same team." He nodded in James' direction, hoping to merit a smile from his best friend. Unsuccessful.

The next question was directed from an older woman with a pleasant face. "Is it true you were named godfather to the son of James and Lily Potter?"

"Yeah," grinned Sirius, talk of his godson, Harry, cheering him up, as usual. "He's an amazing little guy. He's barely a year old and he already recognizes me. James and Lily are amazing parents, so I get to come in and be the cool one he messes around with." _'And by 'mess around' I mean, gives him rides on my back as a dog,'_ he added mentally.

A ridiculously pretty girl was the next questioner. "Are you dating anyone right now?"

Sirius shot her one of his most charming grins. "Not particularly," he answered. "What about you?"

"No," she answered, grinning.

"Floo me," he said with a wink. She blushed madly and several of her friends hooted and hollered. The crowd gave a few good-natured laughs.

"How do you feel the war against He Who Must Not Be Named is progressing?" asked a stern looking wizard from the press.

Sirius hesitated before answering, choosing his words carefully. "Obviously, its not going as well as we could wish, simply because it is still in existence," he replied. "Many excellent wizards and witches have been lost, and they will be forever missed and remembered as the brave souls and innocent victims who came too close to Voldemort. There are certain…setbacks…we are trying to cope with. We have not yet reached the point of desperation where we stand together against a threat no matter what our opinions. We are still arguing about who gets the credit, or the blame. And that is ridiculous."

"I wish that I could gloss this over for you, but doing that would achieve nothing. It is so essential that every member of our community understand that we are not on the winning side at the moment. And one of the main reasons for this, is Voldemort's gift for spreading discord and strife amongst families, loved ones and allies. Only after we are able to beat him at his own game…to move past his petty tricks and shadow games, can we make a real stand at winning this war."

The room was filled with the scratching of quills as reporters hastily took down his quote. He almost regretted answering it so fully. He would be reading that quote for many years to come, unless he was sorely mistaken. When reporters and journalists indicated they were prepared for another question, Sirius was almost positive the next question would involve verification of his rambling. Which was possibly why it caught him by surprise.

"You were raised by a family who have produced copious amounts of Dark wizards through out the centuries. To leave that life and protection, as well as fortune and inheritance, behind must have been very difficult. What made you decide to abandon your family's roots?"

Sirius' felt his eyebrows rise in disbelief. The speaker was relatively young, though older than he himself. She wore her hair in tight golden ringlets, had a very hard face and mannish hands. Her Quick Quotes Quill was an acid green and was still zooming across her notebook, though Sirius had said nothing. "I left home when I was sixteen," he said, his tone rather chilly. "I never looked back, really. I was sick of their pureblood nonsense and radical ideas. I wanted nothing, and still want nothing, to do with the Black family."

The Ministry official scanned the crowd, but the female reporter was apparently not finished. "But surely it must be difficult for you, now seeing how strong the Dark Arts have become! Don't you ever wish you had gone the way of your relatives and become a supporter of He Who Must Not Be Named?"

"No," Sirius said, his voice now unmistakably harsh. "I would rather die than serve Voldemort. And let any who doubt that, leave now."

He indicated the Ministry witch to continue, but the voice he found became quite annoying quite quickly, continued. "Is it true your brother was a Death Eater? And that he was killed when he became frightened of what he was being asked to do? Do you feel ashamed of not being able to help your younger brother? Not pointing him on the right path and abandoning him to the foul clutches of your mother, father and cousin, the renowned and dangerous, Bellatrix Lestrange?"

Sirius' spun his head to face the woman, unaware of how awful and terrifying he looked. His grey eyes were like stones and there was anger in every handsome line of his face. "That is absolutely none of your business," he said, his voice seething with a dangerous rage. "No further questions."

Without further ado, he turned sharply and left the stage, barely aware of the crowd's loud protests. He stormed out the door behind the curtain and was half way to the main entrance hall before James caught up to him. "Sirius! Sirius!" James grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him back. "Padfoot!"

"Who the hell was that woman?" Sirius growled, his blood pounding.

"Rita Skeeter," James answered. "An up and coming reporter of the _Daily Prophet_. You shouldn't have stormed out, Padfoot. You've given her loads of material, and from what I understand, she doesn't need that much."

"Let her write what she wants," Sirius said heatedly. "I don't give a damn. She had no right to bring up Regulus. No right at all!"

"Of course she didn't," James said soothingly, leading Sirius over to the Apparation area. "But tact isn't exactly Rita's strongpoint."

"Apparently," Sirius growled. Both men exchanged significant glances, and words past between them that none could hear. Sirius sighed in defeat and pointed his wand at himself. James followed suit and they were both gone as Bagnold, Moody and Crouch came puffing around the corner, looking for their young heroes.

Sirius and James appeared outside a two-story cottage, quaint and homey. Delicious smells of homemade cooking wafted out to them and laughter was in the air. In the dimming light, the lighted windows looked particularly welcoming. Dark silhouettes walked back and forth past the windows. "You don't blame yourself, do you, Padfoot?" James asked suddenly as they made their way up the walkway.

"Don't be ridiculous," Sirius scoffed. "Regulus was a stupid dolt. My staying around for another year and a half wouldn't have achieved anything. I certainly wasn't in the position to be a good role model for him."

"No," James agreed. "But I know you. Just because it's logical, doesn't mean…"

Sirius cast a wry glance at his best friend. "Mother was so proud of him," Sirius said softly, turning at the door and looking back into the dusk. "He was going to be her little soldier. And now he's dead." He paused. "Maybe I _could_ have done something for him."

"No," James protested. "We've been over this so many times, mate. There was nothing you could do."

"I know," Sirius said, resigned. "I wonder how proud mother is of him now. Killed by his comrade in arms for chickening out."

"Maybe you should go and see her," James suggested half-heartedly.

"No," Sirius said, brooking no room for argument. "If you could only understand, James, you'd never even suggest that."

"Hey!" The front door opened to reveal a young man, handsome with light brown hair and pale blue eyes. "Are you two going to stand lollygagging out here all night? Lily's outdone herself."

"Hello, Moony," smiled James, walking up to clasp his friend's shoulder. "How are you?"

"No moon tonight, Prongs," Remus Lupin observed.

"Which means he's excellent," Sirius grinned, coming up to stand beside his friends.

"Exactly," nodded Remus. "And you? How was the press conference?"

"Don't ask," Sirius said shortly. "I just want a home-cooked meal, copious amounts of alcohol and the Marauders."

"Well, I think I can manage that," smiled a pretty redhead, coming from the kitchen. Lily Potter was a beautiful woman with long, red curls and vivid green eyes. She kissed her husband chastely in front of his friends and then ushered them warmly inside. "Come on in! What can I get you to drink, Sirius?"

"Something strong," he answered quickly.

"That bad?" Remus said in a quiet voice. Sirius nodded firmly.

Lily led all three men into the kitchen. "Peter's in the living room," Lily explained, checking on the roast. "And Harry's upstairs. But I'm sure he'll wake up when he hears his Daddy and his Padfoot." Sirius' grin was almost as wide as James'. He loved his godson very much, and took almost as much delight in spoiling him as his parents did.

James excused himself, hurrying upstairs to check on his son. Remus and Sirius exchanged knowing grins. They had seen James quite taken with a lot of things, most memorably the woman he now called his wife. But even in his most miserable, devoted rants about Lily Evans in fifth year, he had been hard-pressed to show the loving obsession he now bestowed upon Harry. "That man," Lily grinned, pouring Sirius a shot of Ogden's Fire Whiskey.

"He loves his son very much," Remus grinned. "And his wife."

"With good reason," Lily said pertly, a twinkle in her eye.

Sirius neglected to join in on the fun, instead nursing his drink. "Oh, by the way, Sirius," Lily said, as though remembering something. "I invited Amara Vector. I hope you don't mind."

Sirius unwillingly spat out the drink he had just taken. "A…Amara? Here?" Amara Vector had been Sirius' last school sweetheart. The relationship had ended rather badly, and though Sirius had chosen to forget the particulars, every meeting with Amara, she made no bones about reminding him it was entirely his fault.

"Yeah," Lily said with a tight smile. "Her aunt and uncle died about a week ago…in the East Oxford attack. She's been really upset. I hope you don't mind."

"Aunt Trish?" Sirius inquired, feeling a piece of his heart go out to Amara.

"You remember?" Remus asked, surprised.

"'Mara loved Trish," Sirius said. "Merlin…that would break her heart."

"It rather has," Lily informed him. "So be nice."

"When am I ever not nice?" Sirius asked, feigning hurt.

Lily swatted him and then, upon James' return and assurances Harry was just fine, the party joined the other guests in the front room. Peter Pettigrew, fondly referred to as Wormtail, was sitting in a comfortable armchair, sipping away at a Butterbeer. His pale blonde hair was already thinning prematurely and his watery blue eyes were darting everywhere, trying not to look at the young woman curled up at the end of the couch. When they entered the room, Peter looked up, relief clear. "Prongs! Padfoot!" he grinned widely. "Welcome back. How did everything go?"

"Absolutely horrible," James answered, sitting on the couch opposite the one Amara was on. "Rita Skeeter is officially a cow."

"But we're not going to talk about that," Sirius said hastily. Unintentionally, his eyes landed on Amara and he felt his heart sink at little. A part of him would always be a little in love with his old fling, particularly when she was troubled. She wasn't a particularly pretty woman, with auburn hair, cool grey eyes and tortoise shell glasses. But she had a pretty sort of smile and a sense of humour similar to Sirius. If he had hurt her, and he honestly couldn't remember, it was moments like these he regretted it most of all. She was employed as an Auror as well, but they very rarely worked together, simply because of Sirius' special training. "Hello, Amara," he greeted, taking the seat next to her.

"Sirius," she nodded coolly.

Words failed him, and an awkwardness that was seldom present with the Marauders fell about them heavily. Lily settled down next to James and Remus took a seat in the remaining armchair. "Peter was just telling me about his incident with a Muggle vacuum cleaner," Remus informed the company. Peter worked in Muggle Relations at the Ministry of Magic and he frequently came across amusing Muggle devices.

"What's a vacuum cleaner?" James asked, glancing at his Muggleborn wife.

"It's a machine Muggles use to suck up dust," Lily answered promptly. "All the dirt gets transferred into a bag, and when it's full, they put it in the waste bucket."

"But it doesn't just suck up dust," Peter contradicted. "You've got to watch our for your extremities. See…I was supposed to be searching the apartment for a set of keys that had been bewitched to shrink…you know Muggle-baiting, and the like. Only the cleaning lady came in earlier than expected, and you know I can't Apparate so I figured I just transform into a rat. But this cleaning lady starts bumbling around with her vacuum and she caught my tail in the bloody thing. I thought it was going to be the death of me."

"Didn't she turn it off when she realized she was sucking you up?" Sirius asked, amused at his friend's ability to always get himself into scrapes.

"No!" Peter announced with a huff. "The woman was half-blind. Finally I had no choice but to transform and Obliviate her."

"Only…you're not very good with memory charms, are you, Wormtail?" James asked sceptically.

"Well…maybe not that good, but I _think_ I did it," Peter said, not sounding all that confident.

"Maybe you should Floo the Oblivitor Squad in the morning," Remus suggested tactfully.

"Perhaps you're right," nodded Peter, looking worried. Sirius stifled a chuckle.

"I remember one night, before we found out I was a witch, that is," Lily reminisced. "My sister, Harry's aunt, was getting the vacuum out and…oh, Amara…I'm sorry."

Sirius looked over, amazed at his ex-girlfriend. Large tears had suddenly swelled up behind her glasses at the mention of 'aunt'. He couldn't remember ever seeing her cry, and he had gone through seven years at Hogwarts with her in Gryffindor tower. She had been his longest relationship, lasting a whooping total of four months. "I…I'm sorry, Lily," Amara said quickly, her voice breaking. "You guys just go on…I just need a moment…" She got up hastily and stumbled from the room, scrubbing vigorously at her face.

The group remained in silence until they were sure Amara was out of hearing. "Well…that was awkward," Peter said, bluntly.

"Yes, thank you for pointing that out," James said dryly.

"I don't know what to do with her," Lily admitted with a shrug of her shoulders. "But she's got to pull herself together. I understand she was close with her aunt, but it doesn't merit this uncontrollable grief."

"I don't think it's just her aunt," Remus offered as an explanation. "Amara isn't cut out for the life of an Auror. Some people aren't, you know."

The friends sat in comfortable silence, mulling over this possibility. Sirius stared into the fire, his thoughts comfortably diverted from the disastrous press conference and focused on his old flame. He wished there was something he could do for the witch, but if he had learned one thing, it was that Amara was a proud woman and would be slow to accept anyone's help, least of all his. It seemed he was becoming incapable of assisting anyone.

James interrupted his brooding reflections unexpectedly. "Friends…brothers…" he hesitated. "I'm not sure where to begin."

Sirius' eyes shot over to his friend's face, suddenly remembering his odd reaction to Crouch's speech. It looked as though he was about to receive a much-anticipated explanation. "Dumbledore contacted us a few days ago," James said. He avoided meeting any of his friend's eyes, speaking instead to the flames. "It seems Lily and I have become Voldemort's next targets. He believes we are valuable to Dumbledore, and apparently no longer wishes the name of Potter to trouble him."

Peter's mouth dropped, Remus sat up straighter, and Sirius covered his eyes with his hands, feeling unaccountably weary. He wasn't afraid…fear seemed to be a thing very far away from him lately. No, he was furious. Voldemort. It all came back to him. He was the puppet-master playing a game with human lives. "Its not as bad as it sounds," Lily said earnestly. "Dumbledore has a spell…the Fidelius Charm. It will allow James and I go into hiding…somewhere he can't find us."

"How?" Peter asked, looking sceptical.

"By hiding our location inside the mind of a single human being," James replied. "Our Secret-Keeper."

"Now, Dumbledore wanted us to use him as our Secret-Keeper," Lily continued. "He suspects, as we all do by now, that someone in the Inner Circle of the Order may be passing information on to Voldemort. But James and I talked it over, and we simply refuse to believe it could be any of you."

"So, we persuaded Dumbledore to let us choose from amongst our friends," James finished. His eyes finally lifted from the fire and fell on Sirius. "Padfoot…you're Harry's godfather, and my brother. I would be honoured if you would keep our secret."

Sirius leaned back on the couch, thinking quickly. Of course he would leap at the chance to help James and Lily avoid Voldemort's wrath, yet… "I can't," he said.

"Excuse me?" Remus said, anger in his voice. "You _can't_? What the _hell_ is that supposed to mean, Padfoot? Any of us would die for Lily and James, and you, who claim to hold them so dear, refuse to do this one task for them?"

"I didn't refuse," Sirius contradicted. "I said I couldn't. Its too obvious, James. As soon as Voldemort learns you've gone into hiding, he'll come after me. It's not exactly a secret you and I are best friends. Everyone knows I ran to your house after leaving my own home. I can lead Voldemort on a wild-goose chase…be the bait, you understand. And even if he does catch me, he'll learn nothing. If you want to ensure your continued safety, chose one of the others."

"I'll do it," Remus volunteered immediately. "James, you…all of you, have given me friendships I never dreamed could exist. I would gladly give my life to protect you and your child."

Lily's eyes shone with unshed tears. Sirius' own throat was choking up. He understood Remus' sentiments perfectly. In his early childhood, he had never believed such friendships were possible. He had only known hate and manipulation. He had truly been blessed. He went to share a smile with Peter, but was taken back at the unmistakable look of fury on his friend's face. Sirius' eyes darted back to Remus and couldn't help but take in the greedy, eager look on his face as he made arrangements to meet to perform the spell.

A cold feeling formed in the pit of his stomach. Had he been mistaken to pass the task on to his other friends? What if Lily and James were wrong? What if there were spies hidden amongst them right now? Remus was a werewolf, after all…a dark creature and…Sirius stopped his train of thoughts, mentally beating the prejudiced thoughts into a bloody pulp. It was impossible. There could be no traitors amongst blood brothers.

The old friends spent another half hour in conversation, reminiscing about the past and sharing hopes for the distant future. As time went by, Sirius became more and more aware of Amara's prolonged absence. Finally, he excused himself to go and check on her, ignoring Lily's knowing look and the smirks of the Marauders.

Amara was not in the kitchen, front hall or out on the back deck. Nor was she in the parlour or hiding in the shadows of the stairs. There was a light on upstairs in the bedroom Sirius knew belonged to Harry. He quietly began to ascend the stairs, hoping to come upon her unawares. Amara was not, however, in Harry's room, but just outside, looking in at the small child fondly.

"Hey," Sirius said softly, coming up behind her.

She let out a soft gasp, which she silenced as soon as she saw who had greeted her. Sirius was sure if it were not so dark in the hallway he would be able to see the rosy blush on her cheeks he had come to love in their short time together. "Hello," she said briskly.

"You don't have to act like that with me, 'Mara," Sirius quickly, recognizing her attempts to shut down emotion.

"Oh, because opening up to Sirius Black never got any woman hurt," Amara said bitterly, refusing to meet his eyes.

Sirius reached out and gently turned her face up to his. "I never wanted to hurt you," he said suddenly, unaware where these words were coming from. Only knowing they were true. "I never got around to saying that."

"An apology?" Amara asked, feigning shock. "I'm astonished."

"Yeah, well…don't get used to it," Sirius shrugged. He leaned comfortably against the doorframe, looking in at his sleeping godson. Harry was already growing a shock of messy black hair like James. But his eyes, when open, were his mother's vivid green. His nursery was filled with toys, including a large black stuffed dog Sirius had given him only last week. Sirius was proud to see it was the dog Harry cuddled up to at night, no doubt reminding him of his Uncle Padfoot.

Sirius suddenly became aware of Amara watching him with a soft, longing smile on her face. "What?" he asked, confused.

"Do you realise how many women, myself included, wasted away many long hours wishing you could look at them like the way you look at that boy? All they ever wanted was your unabashed, dedicated love you were so quick to show to your friends." she inquired. "And none of us were ever good enough for you. I begin to wonder if anyone woman ever could be."

"Don't," Sirius pleaded. "Not tonight, 'Mara. Tonight, I just want friendship."

"You'll always have that from me, Sirius," Amara smiled, but Sirius could hear the bitterness in her voice. Impulsively, he reached out and grabbed her hands, pulling her into him. For one of the few times in his life, Sirius guessed right with women, and she gave way to his pulling, burying herself in his chest. They stood, half in shadow, half in light, watching Harry sleeping and taking comfort in the closeness of another human being.

------------------

The man who was once Tom Marvolo Riddle looked down despairingly at the wreak of a man in front of him. Although he was certainly not above accepting aid from traitors, there was something that made Lord Voldemort untrustworthy of them. He who betrayed, could do it again. And someone so cowardly as to betray his 'friends' to save his own skin could never make a really loyal servant. Yet, this one, for the moment, had provided extremely valuable advice, and he had sworn, before resulting to grovelling, that tonight's news exceeded all his previous tidbits.

Finally he seemed to have relieved himself and got timidly up off of his knees. Voldemort forced back a curl of his lips. The hems of his robes were damp from the blood traitor's sobs. "Now…what do you have to tell me?" he hissed menacingly.

"It…it has happened, my Lord," came his croaking voice. "The Potters have made me their Secret-Keeper."

And suddenly, the man who was once Tom Marvolo Riddle, felt a good deal warmer to blood traitors.


	2. Of Betrayal and Brutality

**Disclaimer: **Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling and Warner Bros. Certainly not to me.

**Rating: **PG. Sirius may occasionally curse…it would be just like him.

**Pairing: ** Amara Vector/Sirius Black

**Summary:** Remus is originally thought to be the Potters' Secret-Keeper, leaving Sirius a free man and Harry's guardian after Wormtail's betrayal. He adopts Harry as his own and hopes to go on living peacefully forever. But when the Philosopher's Stone is stolen before Harry enters Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Dumbledore sends three of his most trusted members of the Order of the Phoenix: Sirius Black, Professor Amara Vector and Severus Snape to retrieve and destroy all of the Horcruxes before Voldemort can use them to return.

**Chapter 2- Of Betrayal and Brutality**

_31 October, 1980_

The moonlight that shone in through the grimy window was not yet half full, but still its presence led to the elusion of sleep for the werewolf. Since he was a young boy he had had a very complex relationship with any version of the moon. The part of him that was human cursed it inwardly whenever it showed its wide, cold face. The human would always remember the painful transformation, the feeling of losing control completely. But the wolf that was in his blood, no matter how he tried to deny it, yearned for the moon. The wolf waited eagerly for its full face that set him free- free beyond the conflictions of human emotions and civilization. Sometimes, particularly on lonesome, chilly nights like these, Remus had to watch himself carefully, lest he lift his head and howl mournfully at the moon.

The small, shabby two-room flat was in complete darkness, allowing the moon to filter through the room, creating odd shadows and small patches of moonlight. The eerie light dappled on the face of Remus Lupin where he sat curled up on his windowsill. The windowsill was his favourite feature in the flat, wide enough for a reasonably portioned person to curl up on and just watch the world go by. There was not much watching to be done tonight though. The streets of London were completely empty. Despite being Halloween, at this late hour, most of the disguised children had returned to their homes to escape evil wizards, witches and ghouls. Remus laughed hoarsely. He had seen dark wizards and walls would not protect you.

With a heavy sigh, he turned from the window, his nerves on edge. He did not particularly expect any unwelcome company this evening. Sirius had been right when he said Voldemort was likely to first track him down. And now, though not to Padfoot's knowledge, Remus had absolutely nothing to fear. It was Peter who would soon be going into hiding, taking the location of the Potters with him. Remus wondered constantly if he should tell Padfoot of the change, but a small voice inside him cautioned him. As much as it pained him, Sirius came from a family of Dark wizards and despite all evidence, it was possible a little bit of the blood in Sirius might have tempted him to give evidence to Voldemort. No. There was no need for Sirius to know who the real Secret Keeper was.

Remus could not understand why he felt the way he did. Almost as though he had forgotten something important. He had said his farewells to Lily and James and packed all his belongings up. Dumbledore had suggested the Secret-Keeper go into hiding, and since James had insisted on hiding the true identity of their Keeper from everyone, Remus was to play along, going into hiding. He left tomorrow and did not know when he would return. Sirius would be the only one of the Marauders not to flee before Voldemort. But Sirius had never been one to hide. He would go down fighting, not hidden in some dark corner.

Remus toyed with the thought of going to bid Peter goodbye. The poor man was probably scared out of his wits. Only the great friendship and loyalty he felt to James had been enough to persuade him to take the role of Secret-Keeper. But Remus honestly believed Peter to be in no great danger. He wasn't exactly a well-known wizard and no one who got one look at him would ever think him a valid choice to hold the secrets of three lives. Especially not someone like Voldemort who placed power above all else. No, it would be Sirius Voldemort would go after. Remus was sure of it, and it hurt him to think of his brave friend running for his life, and almost assuredly dying in the end, fighting with the fierce pride and determination that made him such an admirable man.

Remus had half a mind to go and say goodbye to Sirius, but he settled instead on Peter. Sirius was quite capable of taking care of himself and anyone else who came along, and would not appreciate what he would see as an attempt to coddle or comfort him. Peter had more need of comfort and friends. Remus swung a threadbare cloak over his shoulders and locked his flat. He pulled out his wand and Apparated.

He appeared inside Peter's clearly abandoned cottage. Fear struck him. Had they underestimated Voldemort? Had he just decided to bring in all of James' close friends? But, no…there was no sign of struggle, and all of Peter's belongings were gone. Even the useless trinkets that would be of no worth to Voldemort and his Death Eaters had vanished. Remus felt his breath quicken as he tore through the house, his mind screaming the conclusion his brain didn't want to accept as he called for the old friend he knew would not answer.

He finally came to a stop in Peter's attic, staring hopelessly out the small round window on the fields below, already barren of their harvest. In the attic he had finally found sign of Peter. Boxes full of his school memorabilia, maps he shouldn't have had, and books full of Dark Magic he shouldn't have known. But one picture, gripped tightly in Remus' hand gave him all the answer he needed. It was a cheerful picture of four boys outside Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. All grinning, all happy to be alive and with such lovely friends. All but one with their faces violently coloured over with the Dark Mark.

The picture dropped from nerveless hands, and Remus fought against the urge to howl. They had been betrayed. Lily, Harry and James would be dead by now, and he, Remus was a marked man. Sirius and Dumbledore would give testimony he had been the Potters' Secret-Keeper. Hot tears burnt in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. Hatred such as he had never known was rising in him, and his eyes glowed as the wolf fought for predominance. If he was going down, Peter 'Wormtail' Pettigrew was coming with him. And with a whirl of a poor man's cloak, he was gone.

-------------

Sirius paced restlessly around his living room, unable to sit down; unable to get rid of the feeling that something was wrong. Dangerously wrong. "Master should calm himself," came the chiding voice of his house elf, Tika. "Master will do himself an injury."

Sirius nodded shortly, and forced himself to sit in a high-backed chair pulled up in front of the roaring fire. The October night was particularly chilly and Tika had made an impressive blaze. Since moving into the large, cheerful farmhouse that was the perfect opposite of the Manor of his childhood, Tika had served him. They made a happy pair, with a respect for each other seldom found in master and slave. It was certainly nothing like the cringing and adoring servitude of his mother's house elf, Kreacher. Thoughts of his childhood brought an even darker mood on to Sirius and he practically growled in frustration.

"Would you like some tea?" Tika offered, coming to stand in front of him with her arms crossed. Sirius offered her a tight smile. The house elf was the only reason he ate or slept at all lately. The war with Voldemort had escalated to unbelievable measures in the last week and it seemed he was rarely at home, or had the energy to do anything but sleep off a ferocious battle. He hadn't seen Amara, the Potters, or any of his friends since the fateful night before James and Lily went into hiding. At least he knew they were safe. Or were they?

For another worry was eating away at Sirius, despite his best intentions. He could not get rid of Remus' eager look as Lily and James made plans to cast the Fidelius Charm. It wasn't right for any man to look at danger that way. Even Sirius had remarkable respect for putting his life in danger, and Remus was no way near as mental as Sirius. Unless his eagerness had been for the rewards he would reap if he turned the Potters over to his master, Lord Voldemort. Unless Remus was the traitor all members of the Order suspected existed. Not for the first time, Sirius had wished he had accepted the task of Secret-Keeper, just so he could be assured his friends were safe.

No, no…he was being paranoid. He ran his fingers through his long black hair, frustrated. Remus was a good man, full of honourable intentions and the ability to love his friends with undying loyalty. There was no way he was passing information to Voldemort. Absolutely no way in this world or any other.

Still, one last visit, or check up, disguised as saying a final goodbye before the werewolf went into hiding couldn't hurt. Decision made, Sirius retrieved his long travelling coat and, still dressed in his work uniform, headed for the door. "Master, where are you going?" Tika demanded, coming out of the kitchen holding a mug of tea.

"I'm really sorry, Tika," he apologized, pulling the front door open. "I should be back sometime tonight. Don't wait up for me!"

He closed the door, heading for the motorcycle he had enchanted to fly. He revved the engine and took off, plotting a direct course for Remus' flat in London. The motorcycle made excellent time and before he could even begin to complain about the damp night and icy cold wind flying in his face, he was touching down outside Remus' building. After casting a quick charm to ensure no Muggle would wander by and attempt to steal his flying motorbike, he Apparated up into Moony's room.

When he appeared in Remus' flat, he almost breathed a sigh of relief. Boxes were piled everywhere. Clearly Remus was all ready to go into hiding. He had not betrayed them. He could not betray them. Sirius was simply being paranoid, understandable after the things he had seen in his short life. "Moony?" called out Sirius, not wanting to wake his friend if he was sleeping. When he got no answer, he decided to peek into Moony's bedroom, just to ensure he was safe.

The room was empty. The first flutters of fear formed in Sirius' stomach. "Moony?" he called out, much louder. He knew there was no way he had missed Remus in the adjoining room, but he had to try. "Remus? Lupin!" His only answer was silence.

Panic rising, he tore out the door, sprinting down the four flights of stairs and out on to the street. All thoughts of Apparation he pushed to back of his mind. If he could Apparate to Gordic's Hollow, which he desperately hoped to be impossible, all his fears would prove true. Another smaller and quieter part of him wanted to delay the moment he would discover what in his heart he already knew was truth. Worry for Lily, Harry and Prongs held back even his hatred for Moony, if what he feared was true proved to be so. He urged the bike through the starless sky, fear coursing through him, making thinking difficult and choking up his throat.

He smelled the fire before he saw it. And it was not the copious amounts of billowing smoke that brought tears coursing down his handsome face. He urged the motorcycle ever faster and was soon touching down on the laneway leading up to Gordic's Hollow.

The cottage was burning. All that remained of the once handsome home where Sirius had spent so many happy days was the frame, which looked as though it was about to fall in. Great flames sprouted up into the air and the Dark Mark glittered mockingly just out of reach of the fire. Someone was screaming. Hoarse, desperate, heartbreaking screams that were wrenched from the throat of a person who had lost all reason to go on. Sirius leapt off his bike and tore towards the house, his hair streaming out behind him like a banner and tears flowing ceaselessly from his grey eyes. It wasn't until he reached the burning building that he realized the person screaming was he.

He crashed through the front door, the air visibly hot. The scene in front of him swam as though it were a mirage. And then he saw him. James was lying at the foot of what had once been a staircase. The staircase had long ago collapsed in the fire, leaving James covered in the rubble. Sirius tore desperately at the heavy wood planks, trying to pull James out of the burning wreckage. His friend…brother…stared up at him with eyes that could not see. To look at him there was no physical harm, save the fact that he was clearly, irrevocably dead. "Prongs, wake up," Sirius begged, cradling his friend's body close to his own, ignoring the house burning around them. "Wake up, Prongs…please…don't leave me. Please, Prongs…Prongs…no." Sobs racked Sirius' body and he rocked back and forth, helpless to do anything but sob.

He shook his friend angrily. How could he leave him? How could he? When Sirius' sanity, his goodness, his morals had always hinged so dangerously on James' continued good influence in his life. Another hoarse scream, this one tinged with desperation, ripped from Sirius' throat. It was a wordless scream; one of a man who had woke to found his nightmares were a reality. The house creaked dangerously. The fact that the roof was going to cave in registered dimly to Sirius, but he didn't care. He would stay here and be burned with the one man who had ever shown him kindness and the love of a brother, without any thought to his family connections, with a consistency and unfailing devotion.

But suddenly, a large hand was on Sirius' shoulder and someone was pulling him out of the wreckage, leaving James behind in the burning building. Sirius fought desperately against the unknown man, but his strength was implacable and he dragged Sirius out of the wreckage as though he were little more than a babe. "C'mon, Sirius," came a friendly voice, full of sadness. "There's nought yeh can do fer 'em now."

The giant of a man, who Sirius now recognized as the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts, Rubeus Hagrid, dragged him back from what had once been a happy home and cottage. As soon as he let go of Sirius' arm, the desperate man pitched himself forward, trying to get back to James. "Sirius, stop!" Hagrid ordered, catching him around the middle and bringing him further back. "They're gone, Sirius. He's gone…James is dead. And ain't nothin' achieved by dying with 'em."

"You're wrong!" Sirius sobbed. "You're wrong. He's not dead. He can't be."

"He is!" Hagrid roared, shaking Sirius roughly. He bent so his usually friendly black eyes, now ravaged with sorrow were level with Sirius' wild grey ones. "Pull yerself together, man. I've got much to do this night…but that's neither here nor there. They didn't all die…I got Harry."

"Harry?" Sirius blinked, confused. The thought of his godson had brought some clarity to his world. "He's…alive?" Hagrid nodded once, slowly. "How?"

"Dunno," admitted Hagrid. "But I got 'im out as soon as I got 'ere. I've got orders to bring 'im to Dumbledore as soon as I can safely."

"Dumbledore?" frowned Sirius, casting about wildly for his godson. "I'm his godfather, aren't I? Give him to me, Hagrid."

"Now, I've got me orders, Sirius," Hagrid began slowly.

"I don't care about your goddamn orders!" Sirius hollered. "Where is James' son? Where is my godson?"

Hagrid looked at Sirius, a pitying fear in his eyes. He clearly thought Sirius was a man on the edge. Sirius thought he might be as well, but he only cared about seeing and holding his godson at the moment. "'E's over 'ere," Hagrid explained, pointing a thumb back at a grove of trees the fire had not spread to.

Sirius followed Hagrid quickly, and fell on his knees in front of the basket his godson' slept in. His face was peaceful, but there was one substantial difference that caught Sirius' eye immediately. A scar, in the shape of a lightning bolt, adorned his godson' forehead. It had not been there a week ago, and was burning an angry red. "How did he get that?" Sirius asked.

"I'm not rightly sure," Hagrid admitted. "It's burning 'im though…looking a bit better than when I first got 'im out."

"Hagrid…what happened here?" Sirius asked, his raging madness ebbing away to a sort of hollow sorrow as he compartmentalized his feeling, relying heavily on the training of Alastor Moody.

"You-Know-Who," Hagrid answered simply. "Whoever was Secret-Keeping for the Potters was apparently none too trustworthy. He betrayed them, and this was the result."

"But how did Harry survive?" Sirius demanded. "And where's Voldemort?" A burning desire to kill the Dark wizard, or at least attempt it with every fibre in his body rose in him.

"I can't tell yeh," Hagrid, who had winced at the use of Voldemort's proper name, admitted. "But Dumbledore seems to think 'E's gone. Possibly fer good. And Harry 'ere's the reason for it."

"Harry?" Sirius repeated, his voice disbelieving. "That's impossible."

"Well, that's why I gotta take 'im to Dumbledore," Hagrid explained. "And I mean to get off right quick…Muggles are gonna be swarming all over this place in no time at all."

"Where's Dumbledore?" asked Sirius, reaching into the basket and pulling Harry into his arms. The small boy stirred a little and his vivid green eyes opened. For a moment there was uncertainty in them, but when he realized it was Sirius, he smiled, murmured something that sounded like 'Pa-foo' and then slipped back into slumber.

"Four Privet Drive," Hagrid responded promptly. "The residence of a Petunia Dursley, being Lily's sister. Dumbledore means to leave Harry with 'er."

"Oh, he does, does he?" Sirius asked in a dangerous voice. "I'm Harry's legal guardian, and Dumbledore can't just decide he wants Harry to live with Petunia. I met the woman a couple of times and there is absolutely no way my godson is living with that witch of a woman."

"Uh…she's a Muggle, Sirius," Hagrid corrected.

Sirius turned disbelieving eyes on the giant man. "Figure of speech, Hagrid," he apologized, with a pale smirk. Still, holding Harry to his chest, he headed towards his motorbike.

"Oy! Where do yeh think yer going?" Hagrid demanded, hurrying after him.

"Four Privet Drive," Sirius replied sharply. "I have a Headmaster to correct. And a werewolf to kill."

"A werewolf?" Hagrid asked, as Sirius carefully mounted the bike.

Sirius wore a very dangerous smile that was clearly a return to the madness displayed early in the ruins of the Potters' cottage. "Remus Lupin is a dead man." He looked up at Hagrid. "What are you waiting for? I can't drive and hold Harry, so you had better do so! Its not hard."

And so Hagrid, with really very little choice in the matter, swung up on to the motorbike and took off, just as a Muggle fire truck came squealing into the lane at Gordic's Hollow. As frightened shouts echoed up to them, Sirius stared down at his godson sleeping peacefully in his arms. Sirius' private thoughts were anything but peaceful. '_Goodbye, Prongs_,' he thought to the cold night sky. '_I will avenge you, I swear it. Moony _will_ die._'

---------------

Albus Dumbledore looked up sadly at the large, square house he was planning to leave Harry Potter at, knowing in his heart that he was condemning James' son to ten years of hell. A part of him wished there was another option, but the larger, more sensible part of him knew it was the best decision for Harry's safety which was, at this point, more important than his happiness. He turned his sharp blue eyes on his Deputy Headmistress, Professor Minerva McGonagall who, unless he was mistaken, had just been made to see his point of view. "Yes- yes, you're right, of course. But how is the boy getting here, Dumbledore?" She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it.

"Hagrid's bringing him."

"You think it-wise- to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"

"I would trust Hagrid with my life," Dumbledore said, giving her the simple truth.

"I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly. "But you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to- what was that?"

A low, rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up to the sky- and a huge motorbike fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.

If the motorbike was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed. But for perhaps the first time in his life, Hagrid was not the man who immediately captured everyone's eye in the near proximity. Both Dumbledore and McGonagall were staring warily at a man, holding a baby, who had slid off the bike as soon as it touched down.

Dumbledore stifled a sigh. He had been afraid of this. Sirius was normally a handsome man, but his eyes were suspiciously red with tears and his face was so ravaged by grief it was hard to comment on anything else. But those grey eyes cleared of all weakness when they fell on Dumbledore and instead burned with a stubborn fire. "Dumbledore," Sirius greeted coldly, clutching Harry a little closer to his chest.

"Sirius," smiled Dumbledore, eager to not put Sirius' back up any more than it already was. Here he must tread carefully. "Allow me to extend my condolences for your loss. I know James was like…"

"Save it," Sirius snarled. "I didn't come here for your sympathy. I thought you would know me better by now."

"Black!" snapped McGonagall. "Has Moody not put enough sense into your head yet to teach you to respect your elders and old professors?"

Sirius flashed her one blank look, and then turned to Dumbledore again. "Harry is my godson. You have absolutely no right or reason to send him here." Sirius gestured derisively at the Muggle house.

"I know you're very emotional right now, Sirius," Dumbledore said, his voice soothing. "But I must ask you to listen to reason."

"There is nothing to say," Sirius interrupted, his voice cold. "The law, both magical and Muggle, states clearly that I am Harry's legal guardian. Don't push me, Dumbledore, or you'll find yourself facing the Wizengamot you lead on a kidnapping charge."

"Yeh wouldn't dare!" Hagrid crowed angrily.

"Wouldn't I?" Sirius asked, deadly calm. He raised an elegant, questioning eyebrow in Dumbledore's direction. "Do you doubt my ability to have you arrested for kidnapping my son?"

"Godson," Dumbledore corrected swiftly.

Sirius said nothing, waiting for Dumbledore to answer his question. The Headmaster of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry hesitated, wondering at the intelligence of simply refusing to answer the impertinent demand. "No," he finally sighed. "No, I don't doubt it at all. But, please, Sirius…just hear me out. When I've had my say, you may agree with my logic."

"I doubt it," Sirius said roughly, but he nodded at Dumbledore to continue.

"It was no random chance that Voldemort-" McGonagall and Hagrid flinched-"targeted the Potters. He didn't go after such a well-protected family simply because they were prominent members of the Order of the Phoenix. He went after them because of Harry."

"Harry?" frowned Sirius, glancing down at his godson. "I don't understand."

"You will," Dumbledore promised. "A little over a year ago, I was interviewing a possible candidate for position of Divination professor. I admit, I was wondering if I should even let the imprecise art of magic continue at Hogwarts, but what I saw at this particular interview left me in no doubt that the woman I hired could certainly See. Professor Sybil Trelawney, though she herself does not realize the strength of her own power, is a true Seer."

McGonagall snorted derisively, but Dumbledore silenced her with a glance. "Until almost the moment the interview was concluded, I confess myself disappointed. Just before declining Sybil's application, she went into, for lack of a better word, a deep trance. Purely by mistake, I am sure, but the result was the same. She made a Prophecy. A Prophecy that only last night was proved true."

"What did she say?" Sirius asked, voice hoarse.

Dumbledore cleared his throat and recited. "_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal…either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…"_ Dumbledore paused, letting the words sink into his companions' brains before continuing. "The odd thing is that it may not have been Harry. There is one other boy fitting the description…Frank and Alice Longbottom's son…Neville."

"Wait…" Sirius' voice was soft and disbelieving. "Do you mean to tell me, Harry's got to kill Voldemort?"

Dumbledore nodded, his eyes full of sorrow. "It is now unquestionable. By first attacking Lily and James, Voldemort marked Harry as his equal."

Sirius suddenly laughed. "So, Harry's already done it! Hagrid said Voldemort was gone."

"No, Sirius," Dumbledore contradicted. "Gone, but not dead. I do not know how long it will take him to return to power…ten, twenty, maybe even fifty years…but eventually he will return. And Harry must be ready to face him."

"Then give him to me!" hissed Sirius, his eyes wild and staring. "I can train him, teach him what he has to know to stand a fighting chance. All he'll learn from Muggles is how to run and, possibly, in which direction. Away from the crazy man with the wand."

"How did He Who Must Not Be Named find out about the Prophecy in the first place?" McGonagall demanded.

"Sybil and I were overheard in the Hog's Head," explained Dumbledore. "The source has since been silenced, but I do not know how many of his Death Eaters Voldemort may have informed. Which brings me to my second point.

"Death Eaters are roaming all over the country, looking for reasons for their master's downfall. And soon word will spread that it is because of Harry that Voldemort is gone. They will want revenge."

"Wait a second," Hagrid intervened. "What I don't rightly understand is how Harry survived in the first place?"

"Lily," Dumbledore said simply. "I visited Gordic's Hollow. I surmise that Voldemort first killed James, and then proceeded to the nursery, looking for Harry. But Lily intervened…begged him not to kill her son, most likely. She was willing to die for her son. Which leaves a mark of protection that can defend even the Killing Curse. So now, you see, Sirius. By leaving Harry here with his mother's family, that protection will be extended. He will be safe."

Sirius stared blankly around, blearily looking for some escape. Finally he sighed, and for a moment Dumbledore thought he had triumphed. But Sirius then clutched Harry closer to him and looked up at Dumbledore, his eyes perfectly emotionless. "I appreciate you looking out for Harry's well-being," Sirius said, his voice flat. "But I can't let you take him from me…he's all I have left. Lily and James are dead, and Remus will be when I'm finished with him."

"Your selfishness will put Harry's life in danger!" McGonagall said furiously.

"I may be selfish," Sirius conceded. "But I swear Harry's life will never be in danger. No one can offer him the protection I can. The only thing I learned from my father is how to make sure you're never found."

Dumbledore thought for a moment about arguing further, but it was now clear to him that Sirius' mind was set. "Sirius…if you are resolved on this course of action, I ask only two things. Let me place you and Harry under the Fidelius Charm. Not forever, only until we can be sure the greatest of the danger has passed."

A sudden pain flashed in Sirius' eyes. "I appreciate the offer, Dumbledore, believe me I do. But my…trust in the Fidelius Charm…in any charm you have to offer has been somewhat lessened of late."

McGonagall looked as though she wanted to speak again, but Dumbledore silenced her with a look. "Then I must ask something of you," Dumbledore continued. "Promise me you won't go looking for Lupin. If you _are_ put on his case, then fine…but, Sirius…Harry would not want his godfather to become a murderer. And nor would James."

Sirius held Dumbledore's eyes for quite sometime, before dropping his head to look at Harry. "I can't promise I won't kill him if I get the chance," he said truthfully. "But I promise I won't go looking for him. For Harry's sake."

"Thank you," Dumbledore said, his thankfulness clear.

"Well," Sirius said thickly. "We'd best get going. Tika's at home…and she worries about me. I expect Harry wouldn't say no to a proper bed as well. I…I suppose it will fall on me to make the funeral arrangements. I'll…well, I'll owl you…all of you. Goodnight."

And the young man, suddenly seeming bent and withdrawn in on himself and his sorrows shuffled off. He conjured a basket onto the back of his motorbike and carefully tucked Harry in. He swung up on the bike, raised a hand in farewell, and then he was gone.

---------------

Amara Vector leaned wearily against the doorframe, pausing to watch Sirius at play with his godson. Harry was too young to miss his parents, and was only wild with joy that he had spent so much time with his favourite grown up- his Pa-foo. Sirius was lying on the floor, letting Harry climb all over him. Unlike the old days, Sirius showed no enjoyment in their play. At Dumbledore's request, Amara had come to visit Sirius and found a shell of the man she had clung to only a week before. It was the second of November, and already Amara could tell Sirius would never be the same man. She knew him well enough to know he was itching to track Remus down, but his promise to Dumbledore and concern for Harry kept him inside.

"Tea?" Amara asked half-heartedly, alerting Sirius to her presence. He had greeted her willingly enough when she showed up on his doorstep, but it was clear to her he had no desire of anyone's company.

'No thanks," he said listlessly. Amara sent the full tray floating back into the kitchen, knowing the sight of it would disappoint the house elf in there tremendously. Steeling herself, she sat down on the couch, watching Sirius calmly. He was aware of her gaze, she was sure of it, but chose to ignore it. Finally she could wait no longer, and she spoke.

"Sirius…is…is there anything I can do?" she asked hopefully. "I know doing nothing must be eating away at you."

"I'm not doing nothing," Sirius said, his voice empty of all emotion. "I'm sitting here with my son and mentally planning my best friend's funeral. And wondering where the hell Peter Pettigrew is."

"You know where he is," Amara said smartly, choosing to ignore the slip of Sirius' tongue calling Harry his son. "He's looking for Remus."

"Lupin!" snarled Sirius angrily, upsetting Harry. "Stop acting like he's our friend, Amara. He was never our friend…we never knew him!"

"Not until you stop acting like his betrayal doesn't hurt!" Amara argued back. "You think you can be so strong for Harry and for me, but you don't need to be, Sirius. I'm here for you."

"Strong for you?" Sirius asked mockingly. "And why would I need to be strong for you? What have you lost?"

Amara felt as though he had slapped her. "Do not make the mistake of thinking you were the only one who cared about Lily and James," she said, her voice like ice. "In case you've forgotten, she was as much my best friend as James was yours!"

"No, she wasn't!" Sirius roared. "James was my brother! You can't understand what I'm feeling."

"Maybe not," Amara agreed, anger making her blood pound. "But I don't have to sit here and listen to you insult my feelings!"

"Good," Sirius barked. "Get the hell out of here!"

Amara had stood up to do so, when the fireplace crackled to life with green flames. Alastor Moody's head was in the flames. "Black! Where are you, you good for nothing…?"

"Here, Moody," Sirius said, his eyes still glaring into Amara's.

"Well, get the hell down here!" Moody roared. "We've found Lupin and I'll be damned if that fool Pettigrew isn't with him! Lupin's got him cornered from what we understand and there are bloody Muggles everywhere!"

"Where?" Sirius demanded, tearing his eyes away from Amara's.

"London, Ingleton Street."

"I'm on my way," Sirius promised, whipping out his wand as Moody's head disappeared. Amara followed suit. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Coming with you," she said, lifting her chin determinedly.

"No, you're bloody not!" Sirius argued. "I need someone to look after Harry."

"Tika can do that as well as I can," Amara shrugged. "And you need someone to make sure you don't do anything stupid!"

"Fine!" Sirius snapped, clearly worried about wasting time. They both pointed their wands at themselves and disappeared….

…Reappearing on Ingleton Street. It was complete pandemonium. It seemed as though for the first time, the Muggle authorities had reached the scene first. Several of their cars were pulled up in the middle of the road and Sirius could pick out a few of their odd uniforms pushing their way through a crowd that was clearly populated of Muggles.

Sirius dashed forward, Amara hot on his heels. Both whipped out their wands. Sirius was secretly glad Amara had insisted on joining him. This was going to cause a lot of extra paper work and she would be much better at talking their way out of it than he would be. They reached the crowd and Sirius fruitlessly tried to push his way through the swarming Muggles, all of who were facing the middle of the circle as though watching a mildly interesting sport's event.

Sirius finally gave up, realizing that short of casting a rather obvious spell, he and Amara were never going to reach Lupin or Peter. He cast around and spotted a police car parked fairly close to what he was sure would soon be a disaster scene. He pointed it out to Amara and, grabbing her hand, pulled her roughly back through the crowd. They clambered up on to the hood of the car, giving them a clear view of the unfolding drama. Everyone else was too distracted by the wizards to notice two oddly dressed people on top of a car. 'Oh, shit…" Sirius whispered.

Lupin and Peter were standing opposite each other, wands at the ready. Lupin was looking more wolfish than ever, his teeth barred in a ferocious grin and a look of triumphant in his eyes. Peter on the other hand, looked positively petrified. He was shaking where he stood, but there was a determination in his watery eyes Sirius had rarely seen. Clearly the poor fellow was so upset by Lily and James' deaths he had decided to take matters into his own hands. Sirius could only pray he could get to his old friend before it was too late. Lupin was two times the wizard Peter was, particularly if he began using the Dark Arts he had undoubtedly picked up from Voldemort.

Sirius raised his wand to Apparate when things began happening too quickly to prevent. Lupin advanced suddenly on Peter, a spell clearly on the tip of his tongue. "Good bye, Wormtail," he growled, raising the wand.

"Lily and James, Remus!" sobbed Peter. "How could you?"

What was going to happen next occurred to Sirius only moments before it happened. There was a huge bang and his world spun. He was vaguely aware of a sort of flying sensation and then he was on the ground. Instinctively, he covered his head with his arms. Pieces of rubble sliced past him, causing punctures and scrapes everywhere. It was over in moments and he was immediately on his feet, looking around desperately.

The street was completely destroyed. The car he had been standing on had been completely crushed by a large piece of what had been the concrete street. He looked around wildly for Amara and found her standing slightly behind him, wand out. She looked shaken, but unharmed. Clearly she had had the state of mind to cast a Shield spell.

The sound of crying and moans of agony taunted his ears. Clearly at least some of the crowd had survived. But some bodies he saw were so mangled and bloodied there could be no way they still breathed. Hot fury enveloped him. More murders to lie at the feet of Remus Lupin. And speaking of which…

Lupin was standing in the same place, looking blankly at the spot where Peter had been. He appeared unharmed and completely unfazed by the damage he had just done. Of Peter, there was no sign. And then, to Sirius' bewilderment, Lupin began to laugh. It was not triumphantly, not even joyously. Simply insane. He clutched at his stomach; tears of mirth streaming down his cheeks. Sirius' stomach curdled, he wanted to be sick. No. That wasn't quite right. He wanted to kill.

Any promises to Dumbledore, any thoughts of Harry flew from his mind and he dashed towards his old friend. He had thought he had an understanding with this monster? How deluded he had been. "Sirius!" screamed Amara. "No!" Sirius didn't pay attention to her.

He didn't even think of his wand. He merely flung himself at Lupin. They went down in a crashing heap. They rolled down from the ledge Lupin had remained safely standing on into the pit cause by the blast. They were too far down to see the street above and completely hidden from view to any who weren't peering directly down into the hole. Sirius landed on the top, feeling a bit bruised, but far too angry to pause for injuries. He rained punches down on Lupin, wanting to see him hurt, to see him bleed. But mostly he wanted the werewolf to fight back, so he wouldn't be killing him in cold blood.

"Fight!" he hollered at Lupin, halting his punches and leaping to his feet. "Why won't you fight? Not afraid to kill me, are you? Surely didn't seem that squeamish with Lily or James."

"I didn't kill Lily and James," Lupin protested weakly. "Sirius…you have to understand…I could never…would never…"

"LIAR!" roared Sirius. "_Impendimentia!" _

Lupin was knocked backwards, slamming into the walls of the new cavern his spell had formed in the middle of Ingleton Street. If the grunt he let out was any indication, it had hurt like hell, which pleased Sirius to no end. Lupin didn't get up, merely leaned against the wall. All fight seemed to have gone out of him. Sirius advanced; his wand shaking at he held it at the ready. "How could you?" he asked, his voice deadly calm. "After all we did for you? The faith we showed in you…the shit we put ourselves through for you!"

"I didn't," Lupin protested, his voice very breathy. "It was Peter…Sirius...he was the…I went to check on him…"

"Check on him?" roared Sirius. "You just blew him up! You're a monster. I never thought I'd say this, but Snape was right about you! You're not a man; you're just a wolf. Just a murderous wolf."

The pain he had caused was evident in Lupin's eyes, but this only made Sirius gleeful. "Put me on Veritaserum," Lupin begged. "You'll learn all you need to know."

"I already know all I need to know," Sirius said, his voice shaking. "I know that you should have been put down as soon as your parents found out what you had become. Wasn't that what they were planning before Dumbledore stepped in? Well…it will be my great pleasure to rectify their mistake. _Avarda…"_

"SIRIUS, NO!" screamed Amara, coming seemingly out of nowhere, and tugging down on Sirius' wand arm with all her strength. "You promised Dumbledore!"

"Fuck Dumbledore!" hollered Sirius. "He's the reason Lily and James are dead."

"I know," Amara said, her voice shaking. "But he can go to Azkaban…let the Dementors have him. If you kill him, you'll regret it forever."

Sirius regarded Amara for a moment as though he didn't know her. But eventually, he lowered his wand arm, breathing heavily. Amara let out a shaky breath and let go of his arm. "Thank you, Sirius. Thank you so much."

Suddenly Sirius' arm whipped up again. Amara screamed and covered her eyes. "_Stupefy!"_

Remus' eyes rolled back in his hand and he slouched back, unconscious. Sirius shot Amara a wry grin, his eyes still dancing with rage. "Scared you, did I, love?"

"I thought…he meant so much to you…and you were going to kill him? How?" Amara asked, her voice shaking.

Sirius shrugged. "He deserved it."

"That's not your place to decide," Amara argued. "There could be things we don't know…circumstances…explanations. You only had suspicions and you were going to kill him!"

"I know all I need to know!" Sirius shouted, grabbing her wrists roughly. "He killed James!"

Amara was shaking, but her eyes were focused on Sirius clearly, showing only sadness and pity. "What happened to you?" she asked, voice steady enough.

"This is me," Sirius asked roughly, letting go of her and refusing to meet her eye.

"Oh dear, oh dear me," came a voice from above. Both looked up to see a flustered-looking Cornelius Fudge peering down at them. "Are…are you all right down there?"

"Fine," Sirius answered testily.

"You haven't apprehended the culprit by any chance have you?" Fudge asked hopefully.

Amara glanced over at Lupin. "He's apprehended," she answered dully.

"Excellent, excellent," Fudge smiled, rubbing his hands together. "But, my, this is going to cause someone a lot of paper work. We'll get you out of there in no time, Black, Amara. Just sit tight. Aurors are popping up all over the place. My, this is going to require a lot of Memory Charms. Someone should really contact Dumbledore."

Fudge's head disappeared. Sirius risked a glance at Amara. She was avoiding looking at him, her eyes fixated on Lupin's unconscious form. Sirius couldn't read her expression. "Was…was there any sign of Peter?" he asked, without any hope.

"Yes," Amara answered, her voice tight with emotion. "While you were down here playing at Wizengamot, I looked through the rubble. I found his wand…and his finger. He's dead."

Sirius ran a hand through his hair. But he could not mourn for Peter. Not when at the moment he would give anything to be dead.


	3. World That's Changed Forever

**Disclaimer: **Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling and Warner Bros. Certainly not to me.

**Rating: **PG13 Sirius may occasionally curse…it would be just like him.

**Pairing: ** Amara Vector/Sirius Black

**Summary:** Remus is originally thought to be the Potters' Secret-Keeper, leaving Sirius a free man and Harry's guardian after Wormtail's betrayal. He adopts Harry as his own and hopes to go on living peacefully forever. But when the Philosopher's Stone is stolen before Harry enters Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Dumbledore sends three of his most trusted members of the Order of the Phoenix: Sirius Black, Professor Amara Vector and Severus Snape to retrieve and destroy all of the Horcruxes before Voldemort can use them to return. 

**Author's Note:** Tika's song is actually _Arwen's Song_ from the Extended Edition of Return of the King. Its song by Liv Tyler, and is just about enough to break your heart.

**Chapter 3- World That's Changed Forever**

_Sirius and Amara sat in silence. Four days had passed since the arrest of the man Sirius had once thought of as Moony. The pain Sirius had been forced to endure over those four, tormented days had been more than he thought humanly possible. He and Amara had planned and attended the joint funeral of Lily, James and Peter. Both had delivered heart-felt, emotional speeches at said funeral, fighting back the tears that inevitably welled up in their eyes. And now they were both sitting in a non-descriptent waiting room in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, waiting to identify and give testimony against Remus John Lupin._

_And despite going through all of this together, they had said no word that did not need to be said for practicality's sake. They worked together, unwillingly on Amara's behalf, and got the job done. Neither inquired after the other's well being and for the moment, Sirius truly believed neither cared. The words exchanged angrily on the second of November still hung heavily between them. Sirius knew he had scared her several times on that fateful, awful day, but he was too furious with her for belittling his awful grief to even toy with the thought of apologizing for words said in anger. The logical part of Sirius knew that he and Amara owed it to each other to try and make this tragedy easier for each other. Out of everyone in the entire world, only Amara could even begin to fathom the pain that threatened to overwhelm Sirius at any given moment. But the much larger part of Sirius, the part of him who refused to believe that anyone else in the world woke up every night screaming from horrible nightmares, only to find that awakenings were more horrific, was far too proud to offer a hand of support in his own grief._

"_Sirius," Amara suddenly spoke up. He lifted his eyes from his hands to look at her. Her hair was pulled back in a tight bun and her eyes were shining with tears. Her glasses were in her hands. Clearly the moisture in those grey orbs had fogged them up. "We have to talk."_

"_About what?" he inquired, refusing to help her at all._

"_Don't be ridiculous," she said, voice already growing heated. "Surely you must want to talk about what we're about to do. Surely you feel…_something_."_

"_I feel absolutely nothing," Sirius lied smoothly. "Unless its justification."_

_Amara's face fell, but they had no more time to speak. An Auror whom Sirius did not know entered the room, looking decidedly grim. "Miss. Vector, Mr. Black…they're ready for you."_

_Sirius and Amara stood and followed the Auror down a long, dark corridor. It sloped downwards steadily, ever heading towards a large, wooden door at the very end. A small window was cut into the top, but bars had been placed over it. Bartemius Crouch was standing outside the door, looking very solemn. "Sirius," he greeted. "Amara." _

"_Crouch," Sirius said roughly. Amara said nothing, still looking on the verge of tears. _

"_He's just in here," Crouch motioned, taking a large black key out of a pocket of his robes. "All you need to do is identify him…then he's on his way to Azkaban."_

_Amara let out a choking noise, but Sirius kept his face void of emotion as Crouch unlocked the door and they entered another room. They were in what was unmistakably a dungeon. Cells ran along the hallway. There was very little light, the air was dank and the smell of mould and rot was prominent. Sirius thought it very fitting. Most of the cells were empty, but one at the very back held the man…monster…they had come to see. _

_Lupin was curled up in the back corner of his cell, sleeping fitfully on a patch of dirty straw. Jail had not suited the werewolf. He was looking more slender and haggard after only four days. Sirius wondered idly if time in Azkaban would kill him. "_Ennervate!"_ Crouch flicked his wand and Lupin's eyes opened immediately, falling on Sirius._

_He scrambled forward, hope brimming in his pale, wolfish eyes. "Padfoot," he said hoarsely. "Sirius…you have to help me. Believe me, I had nothing to do with this. We switched."_

_Sirius stepped back from the cage, fighting once more the desire to either punch something or vomit. Amara stepped closer, reaching out to Lupin. "Remus…how could you?" she asked, helplessly. "Lily and James…"_

"_I didn't," protested Lupin. "You have to believe me."_

"_Has he had a proper trial?" Amara demanded, rounding on Crouch. _

"_No," said the wizard, unashamed. "Albus Dumbledore came forward and gave his evidence that this piece of rot was the Potters' Secret-Keeper. Most believe that is all that is needed. But I wanted you two here, just to be sure."_

"_I'd appreciate it if you could put him on Veritaserum," Amara begged. "It couldn't hurt."_

"_It also wouldn't help," Crouch disagreed. "Its well known He Who Must Not Be Named taught his closest supporters how to resist the truth serum."_

"_That's hearsay!" Amara protested, eyes flashing._

"_Do you doubt the word of Dumbledore?" Sirius interrupted impatiently. "Of me?"_

"_I just want to make sure we have all the facts…"_

"_We do," Sirius said sharply. Amara lapsed into silence, looking pitifully at Lupin, who had resided into shadows._

"_So, for the record," Crouch said heavily, withdrawing from his robes parchment and a Quick Quotes Quill. "Do you, Sirius Gary Black and Amara Diane Vector, give testimony that the accused, Remus John Lupin, is indeed the man who stands before you?"_

"_I do," Sirius said firmly. Amara nodded weakly._

"_And do you, Sirius Gary Black, give testimony that you did see the accused accept the position of Secret-Keeper to the deceased Lily and James Potter on the twenty-third of October? And, on the second of November, you did witness this man murder Peter Pettigrew?"_

_Sirius felt a tightening in his throat, one he had come to expect after four days of people speaking of James, but he squeezed out an answer. "I do."_

"_Well, that's that then," Crouch said, sounding a good deal more cheerful. He stored the parchment in his robes again, not even looking at Lupin. "I'll have the Aurors collect him presently. The folks at Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures are devising a plan to deal with his lycanthropy during his stay. Probably have to be put in confinement once a month. Now, if you'll excuse me, my son and I are dining with Cornelius Fudge this evening. You'd like to meet my son, Sirius. Bright boy…not unlike yourself really."_

"_How can you be so heartless?" Amara demanded. "You have just condemned a man to prison for life!"_

"_Correction," Sirius unexpectedly stuck up for Crouch. "He has condemned a werewolf…a monster…to prison for life."_

_Lupin met Sirius' cold grey eyes and the first pale, bitter smile lit his lips. "Is it easier for you that way, Mister Padfoot? Mister Moony cannot help but wonder if its easier to believe a monster would be quicker to betray his friends than a wizard?"_

_Sirius felt a cold fury rise inside him and he knew it must be reflected in his eyes. "And Mister Padfoot would like to inform Mister Moony that he sincerely hopes he enjoys his time in a well deserved hell."_

-------------

Sirius darted up in bed, jarred first by his vivid flashback of the last time he had seen Remus Lupin, four months ago, and the sounds of a baby crying. _Harry._

Pushing any thought of Lupin to the far recesses of his mind, Sirius went in search of his godson. He found him in the nursery, bawling at the top of his lungs. Sirius reached into the crib, attempting to sooth the poor child. Sirius could remember a time where just the sight of his face had been enough to calm Harry. But the last four months had changed Sirius.

Finally giving up when the child's cries grew louder, he laid him back down in the bed, knowing Tika would be along soon, and went to stand by the open window, waiting for his house elf. The elf had taken a liking to Harry, which was fortunate for James' son. Sirius had been too drawn in upon his own misery to have time for anything else.

He seldom resembled the handsome Auror. His hair had grown long and week-old stubble shadowed his handsome face. He looked as though he had aged ten years, and felt about fifty years old. He never went into work anymore, ignoring the pleas and demands that came almost daily by owl. He kept to himself, spending long hours at a time sitting in one place, refusing food and drink, simply living in the past. He had lost everything…his friends to Voldemort and his cheerful disposition to ravaging sorrow. Not even a visit from Albus Dumbledore, begging Sirius to step up and take his place would coax him back into the wizarding world.

Life held nothing for Sirius anymore. And yet he never cried. His sorrow went well beyond anything that could be alleviated by tears. He wanted nothing more than to lie down and die. The _Daily Prophet _still arrived at his house, full of tales of Aurors failing in desperate attempts to bring in wild Death Eaters. Just yesterday he had read that hid old friends and colleagues, Frank and Alice Longbottom and been captured by Bellatrix and Rudolphus Lestrange. Even the thought of a daring rescue and sending more of his family to Azkaban was not enough to tempt Sirius back into the land of the living.

Tika, drawn by Harry's continuous screams that fell on Sirius' deaf ears, came bustling in, looking worried. She didn't spare a glance for her master, but went straight to Harry's crib, jumping in and gathering him in her arms. "Hush, child, hush," she murmured. "Tika's here, Tika's here now, it'll be all right."

The sight of elf that had cared for him for four months eased Harry's sobs into cheerful giggles. Sirius looked over at them, the old elf with her knarled, dark skin and floppy ears dressed in a smart little tea towel she used for her dressing gown, cradling the small boy with messy black hair and vivid green eyes, stolen from his dead parents. They made an odd couple, but there was a strange sort of something about them, that made soft offers of a home to Sirius. Tika rocked Harry back and forth, crooning to him in her croaky elf voice.

_With a sigh, you turn away_

_With a deepening heart, no more words to say_

_You will find, that the world has changed_

_Forever_

_And the trees are now turning from green to gold_

_And the sun is now fading._

_I wish I could hold you closer._

The words were like a sweet balm Sirius had been holding out for. He looked out into the grey dawn, to the east where the very first pale rim of light indicated the rising sun. And before he fully understood it, he was crying. Crying for what had been, for the young couple in love that would never see their son grow up. Crying for the bumbling wizard everyone had doubted and ridiculed and who had proved himself at long last in honourable death. Crying for the young boy Remus Lupin had been before receiving the fateful bite that would one day lead him to such dark paths. Crying for the boy who would grow up to never know his parents, and crying for the man, himself, who had to go on living and remembering them all.

He sunk down to the floor sobbing, great heaving sobs that had waited to be let out for four long months. Sobs he had wished to silence after clutching his best friend's dead body to his chest. He covered his face with his hands, letting the tears sooth the twitching nerves that had itched for revenge for so long. Tika soon left the now slumbering babe and joined her master on the floor, patting his shoulder and letting him cry himself dry.

When there were no more tears, when they would not come even if he had wanted them to, the master and the elf exchanged shaky grins. The sun was now high in the sky and Harry was stirring again, wanting his breakfast. And for the first time in four months, Sirius Black felt free.

-------------

A few short days later, Sirius smiled over at Harry and Tika, both playing happily together on the floor. Tika had begun neglecting her duties, eager to join in the happy games that rang through out the cheerful farmhouse. After his revelation in the early morning, Sirius had gone straight to the Ministry of Magic and requested adoption papers for Harry Potter. So shocked was the witch behind the counter at his re-entry into society, she had actually followed his orders carefully and quickly, and now…only three days later on a bright Monday morning, Sirius Black was the adoptive father of Harry James Black.

"What do you think about getting Harry a dog?" Sirius asked Tika, peering at himself in the mirror he had propped up on the kitchen table. His wand, a pair of scissors now forming the end, was cheerful clipping away at his long hair, bringing it back to the length before the fall of Voldemort.

"Tika thinks there is more than enough dog around this house," she said, smirking in her master's direction.

"I resent that remark," Sirius said, attempted to look stern. "Do you know, most wizards demand constant respect and servitude from their house elves?"

"Yes, but fortunately for you, Tika is not that stupid!" The house elf shot Sirius a reproachful look. Or at least, as reproachful as one can possibly look when a small child is determinedly pulling on their overly floppy ear. She winced after a particularly painful tug and wrenched her ear out of his grasp. "Then again, perhaps Master's idea is not so very bad."

"Thought you'd come around," Sirius winked as the wand finished up its hair job. "What do you think?"

'Much better," Tika said in an approving voice. She left Harry playing on the floor with several very magical toys and began floating the breakfast dishes towards the kitchen. "Master looks almost as dashing as when he first fought for the Ministry."

"Only almost?" Sirius raised an eyebrow, wearing a large grin.

"Perhaps it would be a better effect if Master was not wearing a towel over his shoulder?" Tika suggested downright wickedly.

Sirius blushed, whipping the towel off. "I was burping the baby."

"Tika does not think Mister Moody would take kindly to that idea."

"Oh, hush," Sirius rolled his eyes. Truth be told though, he was feeling a little apprehensive about today. It was first day back at work after a four-month leave of absence. Moody was probably going to rip his head off. "But I'd better be off!" he called after the house elf, who was now cheerfully setting the dishes to scrubbing themselves. "I don't know how late I'll be. Don't wait up."

"Best of luck!" Tika grinned over her soapy sink. Harry gurgled something unintelligible. Sirius swept him up in his arms, kissed his soft forehead and then left him playing happily with his toys. The young wizard took a deep breath and then Apparated to the Ministry of Magic.

He appeared just beside the Fountain of Magical Brethren. The golden figurines seemed to glitter at him mockingly, so he quickly averted his eyes, and tried to look unquestionably dangerous and important. He was dressed once more in his old Auror uniform, which fit him just as well as it had four months ago. Despite lack of activity, Sirius had forgone quite a bit of food, leaving him, if anything, slimmer after his long mourning period.

He strolled casually towards the lift, ignoring the whispers that followed in his wake. Four months had apparently not been enough for the now tragic, heroic Auror to be forgotten by the wizarding world. It was a relief to slip into the lift, which was quite empty. He pressed the small round button for floor number two, and gathered his wits about him as the lift took him once more back to his office. They stopped twice- on levels seven and three, but only inter-office memos joined him.

The lift stopped finally at level two. "Level Two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Improper Use of Magic office, Auror Headquarters and the Wizengamot Administration Services."

Sirius stepped off into a corridor lined with doors. Several windows let wintry sunlight mirroring the real sun outside stream in. Magical Maintenance must be in good moods. Sirius steeled his nerves once more and then turned a corner, entering into his old workplace- Auror Headquarters. He pushed open the heavy oak doors, had a quick moment to take in the old place warmly- its many cubicles, the busy air full of talking and laughter- and then the entire room fell silent. Faces peeked around walls and over the top of cubicles, jaws open and eyes disbelieving. Sirius uncomfortably ran a hand through his hair, deciding one of his charming smiles wasn't what the situation called for.

A tall, muscled, black wizard was the first to speak. "Hello, Sirius."

"Shacklebolt," Sirius greeted gruffly. "Anyone seen Moody?"

"In his office," Shacklebolt replied quickly. "S'pect he'll want to see you directly."

"That makes two of us," Sirius agreed. He glanced around bemusedly at his co-workers. "Well…carry on."

There was a great leap of surprise and then the room was buzzing once more, even more loudly as though wanting to make up for the few moments of silence. Sirius strode through the cubicles ignoring the curious glances and the whispers of many female Aurors confirming that that was indeed Sirius Black. Another large oak door waited for Sirius at the far end of the room. He kept his eyes focused on it, but couldn't help but notice the cleared out cubicles of Amara Vector and Frank and Alice Longbottom and the fact that his old cubicle, closest to Moody's door, remained just as messy as the day he had left it.

He came to the door very soon, and found himself staring a little nervously at the crooked plaque naming this the office of _Alastor Moody, Head of Aurors Department._ Not bothering to knock, Sirius pushed the door open and strode in.

Alastor Moody was sitting behind his desk, writing furiously away at a rather official looking document. He looked very much like the last time Sirius had seen him, save he was sporting a few more scars and a large chunk of his nose had disappeared entirely. But for Moody, these were minor changes. "I'm back," Sirius announced, when Moody didn't bother to look up.

His teacher glanced up, showing absolutely no surprise or even delight. "Congratulations," he said gruffly. "What do you want, some sort of award for finally finding the office?"

"Very funny," Sirius growled. "Don't I need to fill out some paper work for extended leave of absence?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Moody growled right back. "Do you honestly think the Ministry would let one of their workers just choose to not show up to work for four months?"

"Then…I've been fired?" Sirius asked, a little shocked. Apparently he had overestimated his worth.

"No!" Moody almost shouted. "But if you fill out paperwork for a leave of absence, you'll completely blow the fact that I and every member of this department has been covering your ass for the past four months."

Sirius grinned delightedly. "Knew I'd come around, then?"

"Course I did," Moody said gruffly. "You're not exactly the kind of man who'd be content to laze around for the rest of his days. But you are the kind of man who likes a good, attention-seeking, extended sulk."

"Ha ha ha," Sirius said dryly. "What did you do to your nose?"

"Evan Rosier," Moody informed him, the first sign of amused twinkle in his dark beedy eyes. "Didn't fancy a life's stay in Azkaban. Had to kill the stupid son of a bitch. Now, what are you still doing here? Get back to your cubicle. And see Kingsley Shacklebolt. He'll fill you in on what you've missed. And don't get too comfortable. Expecting a report on the whereabouts of Frank and Alice Longbottom any minute now. You've just volunteered to go in with me, Applegate and Shacklebolt."

"Yes, sir," Sirius grinned widely, heading for his cubicle.

"Oh, and Black!" Moody hollered, causing Sirius to turn around once more. "Find Devon Rambleton and tell him you're back. He'll be delighted to know he's won the office pool of 'When Will Black Return to Work.'"

"You had an office pool without me?" Sirius asked, feigning hurt.

"World doesn't revolve around you, sonny," Moody snapped. "Sooner you learn that the better. Now get your lazy ass down to Shacklebolt's cubicle!"

The door slammed shut rather forcefully on its own accord behind Sirius, but he shot several of his closer friends amused grins, letting them know he was still in. A few made as though to join him, but he waved them away. He wasn't entirely sure if he could take their condolences just yet. His cubicle was littered with scraps of the projects he had been working on before the fall of Voldemort, most of which he assumed was sorely outdated. An article in the Daily Prophet about the whereabouts of Antonin Dolohov, a report on the arrest of Elizabeth Markle and…his throat seized up dangerously…a memo from the cubicle of James Potter reminding him he had an interview to give on the afternoon of twenty-third October. He had just stuffed the piece of paper in his jacket pocket and swung his travelling cloak on the back of his chair when Shacklebolt and a witch Sirius didn't know entered the cubicle.

Sirius accepted Shacklebolt's handshake and grin readily. The two had been in training together with James. Shacklebolt was a year older than Sirius, who was twenty-two, but had been a Ravenclaw at Hogwarts. "How are you, mate?" he asked, managing to make it sound like a casual greeting.

Sirius shrugged. "Decent, actually. Harry's adoption papers came through this morning. He's officially a Black."

"Oh, congratulations," Shacklebolt said warmly. "That had to be a good feeling."

Sirius nodded eagerly. "It'll be good to raise him as my own."

"You'll tell him about James and Lily, of course?" Shacklebolt frowned, shooting Sirius an odd look.

Sirius gave a furtive little shrug. To be perfectly honest, he had not yet thought out his feelings on that aspect. He wanted to give Harry as normal a childhood as possible, considering the adulthood that awaited him. Was it necessary to burden him with the thought of dead parents?

Kingsley obviously sensed Sirius' reluctance to discuss the subject, and relieved him of any awkwardness, by dragging forward his companion. "This is Serena Applegate," he introduced. The witch gave him a brief smile. Her hair was long and black and she had sharp green eyes that put him in mind of Minerva McGonagall's most intrusive glare. Her face was pale and had high-cheeked bone features that put him uncomfortably in mind of his cousin, Narcissa Malfoy. "She's only worked here for four months…hired to replace Amara Vector. She's a damn good Auror, but we're all more than ready to bow back down to your rising star."

"Hello," nodded Serena, sizing him up.

"Nice to meet you," Sirius said warmly. "But could you clarify exactly why Amara needed replacing?"

Despite the gibberish Kingsley had obviously put in to distract Sirius, he immediately zoned in on the crucial bit of information. He had been so shut off from the entire wizarding world he might have missed anything regarding his old lover. Had she died? Been seriously wounded? His mind shot about, thinking up wild possibilities. "Amara resigned," Kingsley cut into Sirius' imagination. "Shortly after James and…err…after Lupin…well, you know."

"Resigned?" Sirius' eyebrows shot up. "What? Why?"

Kingsley shrugged. "Its her business, really. Said it was a protest over Lupin's ill treatment."

"Only Amara," Sirius growled. At least that explained the empty cubicle. "Where is she now?"

"Officially?" Kingsley grinned. "Unemployed. But everyone knows Dumbledore's offered her a position teaching Arithmacy up at Hogwarts."

"That was her favourite subject," Sirius commented fondly. "She got 233 percent on our final examination in sixth year."

Kingsley was about to continue, when the oak doors burst open to admit a hassled looking Rufus Scrimgeour. Sirius had worked frequently with the older Auror, and had admired his powerful attacks and ability to remain calm in all situations. An ability that looked to have completely deserted him. His lion-like mane was standing in all directions and he was noticeably limping as he tore down the hall to Moody's office. "Rufus!" shouted Kingsley, hurrying up to the large man. "What's up?"

"Longbottoms!" hollered Scrimgeour, already disappearing into Moody's office. "No time!"

"Well," Serena commented dryly as the door swung shut behind the Auror. "I guess that's our cue to get ready to leave."

----------------

Alastor Moody glanced over at his newly re-instated best Auror, Sirius Black. The man had returned seemingly out of nowhere only that morning, to be put back into active duty less than an hour later. Yet Moody couldn't worry. Sirius was the best pupil he had ever had, including James Potter. His power was unquestionable, his stealth excellent and he had a wild abandon of fear and caution that made him succeed where others would flee. And currently Moody was sure they were going to need every bit of Sirius' talent. They were both crouched high in the abandoned rafters of an old barn in Oxford. Only it was no longer abandoned. Two people were strung up, their arms and legs outstretched to their fullest. Another man, cloaked all in black was standing in front of them.

The Death Eater raised his wand at the female- Alice Longbottom. "_Crucio,"_ he said, lazily. Her body arched, her bindings holding her in place and she screamed pitifully. After a few excruciatingly long moments, the man ceased the spell. "Come now, Frank," he said conversationally. "You don't want to see that again, do you? Of course you don't. So tell me. Where is the Potter boy?" Frank Longbottom said nothing. Moody doubted he _could_ say anything. His tongue was hanging out and his neck was lolling about, his eyes rolling wildly. Moody doubted either Frank or Alice would ever regain their sanity. Still, they could at least take vengeance on the people who had done this to them. He nodded slowly at Sirius, who winked.

"You have nothing at all to say?" questioned the Death Eater. "Surely you don't want us to rape her again?" Frank whimpered. "That's what I thought. Now tell me. _Where is Potter_?"

Fury flooding him, Moody nodded at Kingsley Shacklebolt and Serena Applegate. They both winked. Moody raised his index finger and thumb, and then nodded at Kingsley. The Auror nodded and slipped away, going to ensure there was no one else in the barn. Moody turned back to the Death Eater and the Longbottoms. The masked and cloaked man was now directly in front of Frank. "Where is the Potter boy?" he hollered. Frank said nothing.

"Fine," the Death Eater said, calm again. "If you won't co-operate, you'll have to watch again." He began cutting Alice Longbottom down. Moody's mouth tightened in disgust. He glanced over at Sirius and found him looking back at him. The young Auror pointed at himself then crossed his arms over his chest. _I'm going in._

Moody shook his head frantically. Sirius grimaced and then looked down. The Death Eater had laid Alice on a table. He was lifting her skirts. Sirius' face was a portrait of fury. He made the signal and again Moody shook his head. They couldn't act until Kingsley got back. Sirius shook his head and before Moody could do anything, Sirius was gone.

Sirius disappeared into the shadows and then, sure he had left Moody's line of vision, adopted his Animagus form. He hadn't done so since James' died, but he could appreciate the necessity of returning to the form of Padfoot. None of his fellow Aurors knew of his secret talent, but it was worth exposing it if he saved Alice- a childhood friend of his and Amara's old partner in the field. In dog form, he easily found his way down from the rafters, leaping from bales of hay. He silently padded towards the Death Eater. He had shed his robes to make the rape easier. Sirius recognized him as Rabastan Lestrange- Bellatrix's brother-in-law, and his own dear cousin through marriage.

Sirius let his dog form go, crouched behind the Death Eater and tried not to breathe. "This is your last chance, Longbottom!" Rabastan cried. "Tell me or I do it again!"

"He can't tell you, you worthless son of a bitch," Sirius hissed. "You've driven them both mad! Botched up, haven't you?" He drove his wand into Rabastan's back. "He can't tell you where the Potter boy is, but you're not going to rape Alice Longbottom…or anyone else, ever again. Back away or I'll curse your dick off."

Rabastan backed away slowly, his hands in the air. Sirius grinned triumphantly. His victory was short-lived. Rabastan let out a yelp. "Barty!" he shouted. "Barty! Get in here immediately!"

"You stupid bastard," Sirius cursed. "_Stupefy_!" Rabastan fell, Stunned. Sirius grabbed him by the legs and pulled him under the table he had Alice on. Sirius just had time to pull on Rabastan's discarded robes before the barn door swung open. "I say," muttered the new Death Eater. "What are you going on about?" His voice sounded young, but malicious.

Sirius answered in a hoarse, scratching voice, similar to Rabastan. "I need your help," he said. "Humping this broad seems to get a reaction out of her husband. But I'm gettin' tired…fancy a go?"

"Oh, right," said the other Death eater, moving forward. He didn't have a button undone before Sirius attacked.

"_Stupefy!"_ He fell, Stunned. Sirius kicked him in the groin for good measure, and then thought no more of him. He gently pulled Alice's skirts down and then lifted her. She was whimpering just like Harry did when he had a bad dream. Sirius carried her down to a bale of hay. He laid her down and gently stroked her hair. He crooned Tika's lullaby to her. When she was quieted, Sirius went to cut down Frank.

Moody soon joined him. "What the hell was that, Black?" he growled. "You're not a registered Animagus!"

Sirius grunted and lifted Frank as easily as he had Alice. Moody watched him lay the man beside his wife. "Well, I'll let you keep your secret," Moody continued when Sirius showed no sign of response. "But only because it's damn useful."

"Do Kingsley or Serena know?" asked Sirius, joining Moody. "Where are they?"

"No, they don't," Moody informed him. "I sent them after Bellatrix and Rudolphus." He had barely got the words out of his mouth when shouts from outside distracted them. Both men turned, raising their wands. The barn door crashed open and Bellatrix Lestrange entered, looking furious. Surprise filtered across her face upon recognition of Sirius, followed shortly by fury. "_Conjectivis_!" she screamed, her wand aimed at Moody.

The curse that, when used on dragons or giants would rarely cause enough harm to allow the caster a sure getaway, was fatal to the aging Auror. It pierced his right eye and he fell to the ground, both hands clasped over his injured eye. With his teacher's moans echoing in his head, Sirius reacted, bringing his wand up and screaming "_Stupefy_" before Bellatrix could react. The darkly beautiful witch fell to the ground, as Stunned as her comrades.

Sirius waited only until he saw Serena and Kingsley enter the barn, carrying the Stunned form of Rudolphus. Sirius ran to Moody, Serena on his heels. Moody had, fortunately, passed out from the pain. "Is he going to be all right?" Serena demanded.

"How the hell should I know?" Sirius asked hotly, his worry making him irritable.

"She got away from me," Serena explained, looking furious with herself. "Rudolphus went down quickly enough, but she was too strong. We went after her, but we evidently weren't quick enough."

"Apparently not," Sirius observed dryly, in no mood to show pity or understanding.

"Will he be all right?" Kingsley asked, coming to join them.

"Should be," Sirius decided. "If we get him to St. Mungo's as soon as possible."

Serena began conjuring a Portkey- a power given to Aurors if it was absolutely necessary. "See you had no trouble," Kingsley made conversation, looking around the barn. "Didn't think you would." He glanced in Bellatrix's direction. "Fighting seems to run in your family."

"No strong enough in her," Sirius said with a smirk, now that his worry for Moody was somewhat alleviated.

Kingsley's mouth dropped in horror as he caught sight of the Longbottoms. "Merlin, look at Alice and Frank." There was fury in the usually gentle man's eyes. "Who is responsible for this atrocity?"

"Well, Rabastan Lestrange," Sirius answered, gesturing to the man he had Stunned in the act of rape. "I don't know who the other bloke is."

'I'll get him," Serena volunteered, her Portkey, an old horsewhip standing ready. She dragged the unidentified Death Eater over to their group and turned him over. Sirius knelt and ripped off his hood and mask. Three identical gasps burst out of the Aurors.

"Well, fuck me," Sirius breathed. "Heads will roll for this one."

"Barty Crouch Jr." Serena hissed.

-----------------

Sirius cast himself down wearily into a large armchair. Tika hurried over, carrying a large mug of tea. "Did Master's mission go well?" she inquired hopefully.

Sirius took a large gulp of the scalding tea and immediately regretted it as the insides of his throat were burned. "As well as can be expected," he answered darkly. "We rescued the captives and captured the bad guys."

"Congratulations, Master," Tika grinned, genuinely happy for Sirius' success.

"Don't congratulate me," Sirius sighed heavily. "We weren't able to save the Longbottoms."

"Meaning the Longbottoms is dead, sir?" Tika asked, dread in her voice. She had heard Sirius praise the couple highly during his days in the recently disbanded Order of the Phoenix.

"No," Sirius disagreed. "Far worse." He took several more sips of tea before answered, choking on the hot liquid. Finally he shook his head, coming out of his dark brooding. "Where's Harry?"

"I just put him to bed before you got home," Tika answered. "I wanted to wait up for you. I remembered you loved your mug of tea after missions."

Sirius managed a broad smile for his house elf. He owed her quite a lot. "Thank you very much, Tika. It was the most excellent mug of tea I've ever had." Tika blushed in a very house elf manner as Sirius drained the last few dregs of tea. "I'm off to bed. You should get there yourself."

Tika nodded, taking his cup for him. "Good night, Master!" She disappeared with a _crack!_

Sirius made his way upstairs, thinking of taking a bath. He started running the water with a flick of his wand and, while waiting, went into the bedroom adjoining his to check on Harry.

He heard Harry crying before he reached the room and began to run. He crashed into the nursery, wand at the ready before he realized his godson…son…was just complaining of the late winter chill let in by the open window. He sighed in relief and brought the frame down with a satisfying bang.

He hurried over to the crib and lifted Harry out of it. His cries quickly turned into gurgles of happiness at the sight of Sirius. Sirius drank in his son, feeling fatherly pride. His green eyes already showed surprising intelligence and his shock of messy black hair was just like James'. Even the lightening bolt-shaped scar made Harry all the more precious to Sirius.

"Pa-foo!" grinned Harry.

"No, not Padfoot," Sirius corrected. "Daddy."

"Pa-foo…Dada?" Harry frowned, slightly confused.

Sirius nodded. He wanted Harry to be happy for the few short years of his innocence before he was burdened with his heavy destiny. The least Sirius could do was ensure he did not mope about for dead parents. In Sirius' head, this logic even made sense.

Harry seemed to accept his words. "Dada!" he gurgled, lifting his arms up above his head with a grin.

Sirius grinned brilliantly. "Do you want to come take a bath with Daddy?" he asked. Taking the happy giggle as a 'yes,' Sirius and Harry left the nursery, heading for the now, almost overfull tub. Sirius was so wrapped up in his love for Harry that his usually amazing Auror senses didn't notice the grey rant scurry out from under the crib.

The rat waited until Sirius had left the room and then climbed up on to the windowsill. He somehow managed to reopen the window and then fled out into the night. A young and curious Percy Weasley would find him the next day.


	4. Peace Breaking

**Disclaimer: **Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling and Warner Bros. Certainly not to me.

**Rating: **PG13 Sirius may occasionally curse…it would be just like him.

**Pairing: ** Amara Vector/Sirius Black

**Summary:** Remus is originally thought to be the Potters' Secret-Keeper, leaving Sirius a free man and Harry's guardian after Wormtail's betrayal. He adopts Harry as his own and hopes to go on living peacefully forever. But when the Philosopher's Stone is stolen before Harry enters Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Dumbledore sends three of his most trusted members of the Order of the Phoenix: Sirius Black, Professor Amara Vector and Severus Snape to retrieve and destroy all of the Horcruxes before Voldemort can use them to return.

**Chapter 4- Peace Breaking**

The handsome dark wizard slept fitfully. He tossed and turned in his sleep, never sinking into a deep restful slumber. He knew that in those deep sleeps waited dreams, dreams he did not want to confront. He was well enough in tune with his body, even when asleep, to prevent falling prey to the nightmares that always hovered in the back of his mind. He had seen much in eleven years as an Auror. But it was only in his second year as an Auror that he realized he would never be able to sleep again. In twenty-four hours he had lost everything that was dear to him. Sirius Black was a hard, cold man- calculating and precise. He was a formidable enemy and a very welcome friend. Only one person ever saw beyond the hard façade he wore like a glove. And it was that person's screams that startled Sirius awake this particular night.

"No!" The tormented cries of a young boy echoed through the large silent country home. "No, not again! Go away! Leave her alone!"

Sirius' eyes popped open and he sat up, immediately aware of his surroundings. He leapt off the bed, pausing only to snatch up the wand resting on his bed stand. He dashed through the halls of his home, barefoot and wearing loose flannel night pants. He ran to a closed door at the end of the hall and threw it open, jumping into the room with a spell on the tip of his tongue and his wand at the ready. His eyes quickly took in the room. The only light was that of the moon, but it was more than enough for the Auror. There was nothing suspicious about the room. It looked like an average eleven-year-old wizard's room. Posters of Quidditch Players, comic books, Wizarding cards and small moving action figures- everything was there. Sirius had been an indulgent father; giving Harry everything he could possibly want.

But even everything he could possibly want was not enough to stave off frequent nightmares. Sirius turned his attention to Harry now. He was sitting up in bed, staring around wildly, tears streaking unnoticed down his pale face. "Dad, they got her," he sobbed, voice shaking. "They got Mum again and there was nothing I could do to help her."

Sirius sat down beside Harry and gathered him up into his arms, making quiet soothing noises in his ears. "Shh, its all right, Harry," he whispered. "You're safe, it's all right." Eventually Harry stopped shaking and leaned heavily against his father's lean body, crying without shame. Sirius looked down at him worriedly. Harry could hardly know it, but he was a dead ringer for his real father right down to the bony frame, glasses, tousled black hair and thin lips that usually twitched with a smile. Only his eyes were Lily's- green pools that were right now filled with tears.

Harry was a constant reminder of James and Lily. Sirius couldn't decide whether or not to hate or love him for it. Yet, despite this, or perhaps because of it, Sirius loved Harry with every fibre of his being. Sirius knew Harry felt the same way about him. Harry believed that Sirius was his real father and they had an idealistic relationship. Sirius could admit that he had been very selfish with Harry. He had many friends, but Sirius was always careful to make sure Harry never spent too much time with any of them. He never wanted anyone to be first in Harry's affection beside himself.

Abruptly, Sirius became aware that Harry's sobs had subsided and he was beginning to squirm against his father's grasp. Sirius reluctantly let him go, and gently brushed away the few tears still lingering on his cheeks. "Better?" he asked warmly.

"Yeah," Harry said slowly, still fighting for composure. He paused, drinking in the comforting sight of his father. He knew his father was a handsome man. He had been gifted with a fine face, captivating grey eyes and a grin that seemed to make women melt. The chest Harry frequently took refuge against was hard and muscled- testimony to Sirius' physical work. But Harry could not remember a time when there had not been dark bags under his father's eyes or a slight leanness that suggested he did not look after himself as well as he should. "I'm sorry I woke you up. It wasn't important."

"Don't be foolish, kid," Sirius berated him very fondly. "Its always important when it comes to you. Always."

"It was just a stupid dream," Harry protested. "And you need your sleep if you're going to be an Auror."

Sirius flicked the light on by Harry's bed, regarding his son amusedly. "Aren't I supposed to be the father in this relationship?" he asked, eyeing his son.

"Someone has to take care of you," Harry responded with a slight grin. "You certainly can't do it yourself."

Pretending to be offended, Sirius reached behind Harry and whipped away his pillow, using it to swat the boy over the head. Harry fought against the Auror futilely, but Sirius was far too quick. He relented on his own though. "Last one downstairs has to make hot chocolate!" Sirius grinned mischievously.

Laughing, Harry pushed Sirius out of the way and ran out into the hall. He fled madly through the dark, stubbing his toe only once. As he took the stairs two at a time, he could hardly believe his good fortune in keeping ahead of Sirius. His dreams were quickly dashed, however, when he skidded into the kitchen to find Sirius sitting at the kitchen table with a smirk, twirling his wand. "I win," taunted the wizard.

Harry's indignation was clear on his face. "That is not fair at all!" he protested. "You cheated!"

"Cheated?" Sirius pretended to be shocked. "I never cheat. I just bend the rules a bit. I never said magic wasn't allowed."

'But I'm not allowed to do magic," Harry pointed out.

"That's never stopped you before," Sirius pointed out dryly. "How many times have we had little 'accidents' that involved a visit from a representative from the Improper Use of Magic Office?"

Harry tried to stammer out his argument, but it was drowned out by Sirius' laughter. "Keep your knickers on," he smiled. "I'll make hot chocolate." He lazily pointed his wand at the cupboard and the kettle floated out. It had barely touched the counter before there was a loud _pop!_ Their house elf, Tika, appeared in the kitchen. She was dressed in her nightgown- a pillowcase that was longer in length then her work clothes and had a pattern of sheep on it. Her nightcap- one of Sirius' old socks, was hanging off one ear.

"Master!" she protested, shaking her finger at Sirius. "Tika told you that if little Master was wanting hot chocolate, you should send for Tika and she would do it so you could catch your sleep."

"Tika, I wanted hot chocolate as well," Sirius explained. "I couldn't sleep, anyways."

"Oh, Master, you will put Tika out of a job, you will," she lamented. "You should be sleeping, Master. There are bags under your eyes."

"Would you like to make us some hot chocolate?" Sirius offered through gritted teeth.

Tika harrumphed and hurried over to the counter. She leapt up to the kettle and began bustling around, making the hot chocolate. Every few moments she would put in another harrumph for good measure. Sirius made a face at Harry. "Why is it that all my relationships are reversed?" My son wants to take care of me and my house elf reprimands me!"

"Its because you're so messed up, Dad," Harry said, sympathetically patting his hand.

"Thanks, Harry," Sirius said dryly. "You really know how to make a man feel loved."

"I do my best," Harry teased. Sirius accepted his hot chocolate from Tika, who joined them at the table after serving Harry. Sirius sat back a bit and watched the house elf and Harry joke around for a bit. Outside the first rays of sun were coming up over the horizon. He would have to go up and shower soon, then head to another long, tiring day at work, but for now he was content to sit here. It was a strange family they had- a son who was not strictly a son, but thought he was and a house elf who certainly didn't know what was expected of a house elf. Despite its oddities thought, Sirius was fully convinced it was the best family in the entire world.

----------------

Harry watched, somewhat amused, as his father and Tika began one of their infamous arguments that shouldn't strictly have been possible. Harry's friend, Ron Weasley, didn't understand why his dad didn't just put Tika under the obedient charm that all house elves lived under. Harry didn't think anyone on the outside would understand that Tika was as much a part of the family as Harry himself and Sirius would no sooner put an obedience charm on Tika then he would on his own son. "Look, I don't care if it's healthy!" Sirius protested, trying to shove the bowel of oatmeal back at Tika. "I hate oatmeal! I want what Harry has." Harry very smugly took a large spoonful of the sugar cereal at his plate.

"Well, you're not getting any, Master!" Tika snapped, refusing to take the oatmeal. "Harry doesn't have a busy day ahead of him that could involve fighting Dark Wizards. Now go sit down and eat your oatmeal like a good boy."

Sirius paused, considering continuing the argument, than sank down into his chair, prodding the oatmeal with his spoon. "Its cold," he complained to Tika.

"Well, maybe it you'd eaten it right away rather than arguing, it would be warm," Tika pointed out, before disappearing. Harry tried to resist shooting amused glances at his father who was sulking exactly the same way Harry would have if forced to consume the lumpy gruel in his bowl. He was fighting down laugher, when Sirius suddenly snatched his own bowl away from him and shovelled it down.

"Oy!" Harry protested.

"I'll get you some more," Sirius snapped. "But there was no way I was eating _that_!" He gestured derisively at the oatmeal.

Harry waited patiently as his father refilled his bowl and poured milk on it. Sirius had just sat the cereal down in front of his son when their owl, Diomed, swooped in the open bay window. He dropped a letter and the _Daily Prophet_ on the table. Sirius reached for the paper, but his hand halted when he saw the writing on the letter. "Merlin," he whispered. "Are you that old already?"

"What is it?" frowned Harry, who had not bothered to look at the mail. It was always for his father- usually fan letters from young witches or letters from important wizards who wanted to discuss boring things with the most respected Auror in Britain.

'It's for you," Sirius said softly, handing Harry a thick parchment envelope. Curious, Harry took it from his father. The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowing parchment. The address was written in emerald green ink. He turned the envelope over, a sudden feeling of anticipation entering him when he saw the purple seal. It was a coat of arms; a lion, a raven, a badger and a snake surrounding a large letter '**H**'.

'Is…is this…?" Harry asked, looking up hopefully at his dad.

There was a dark expression on Sirius' face. "Go on," he said, almost harshly. "Open it."

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_

_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, _

_Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)_

_Dear Mr. Black,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

Harry leapt out of his seat, letting out a large whoop. He threw his arms round Sirius' neck. "I'm going to Hogwarts!" he exclaimed. "I'm actually going to your school! Isn't that brilliant, Dad?"

"Yeah," Sirius said thickly. "Brilliant."

Harry drew back from his dad, noticing his less than excited tone. He shrewdly studied his face, trying to figure out what was wrong. It was always so difficult to read his father. "So, what now?" Harry asked slowly.

Sirius, acutely aware of his son's suspicions, visibly brightened. "Now we'd better write your owl," he said with a grin. "And this weekend, we'll head to Diagon Alley to get your supplies."

Harry decided that Sirius' temporary lack of joy was due to memories of his time he must have spent at Hogwarts with Harry's mum. He sat down and drew out a second piece of paper, full of what he would need at Hogwarts. As he read it over, Sirius turned, fighting for composure.

'_Have the years gone by so fast?'_ Sirius marvelled silently. _'Have Lily, James and Peter been gone that long? My God. How am I going to survive without him?"_

---------------

That Thursday was Harry's eleventh birthday. Sirius seemed to think this was particularly significant age and promised to out due himself. Harry, whose last party had included the Quidditch World Cup, found it difficult to think that could be managed. Harry noticed his dad was coming home later than normal and Apparated upstairs. Harry always smiled when he heard his father rummaging around. Sirius had never been discreet about buying presents.

When Harry got downstairs on the morning of his birthday, he was startled to find Sirius sitting at the kitchen table. It was well after ten o'clock on a weekday, his father should have been at the Ministry. Yet here he sat, behind a large birthday cake. "Happy Birthday, Harry," grinned Sirius. "Come and have some birthday breakfast."

Harry grinned back and ran over to the table. He reached for a serving knife, but Sirius swatted his hand away. "No, you," he reprimanded. "First we sing!" So Harry was forced to sit and listen to Sirius and Tika sing a very off-key rendition of _He's A Jolly Good Fellow_. When they were gone, Sirius nudged him. "Dig in. Just don't tell Molly Weasley. I didn't let her in on the fact the cake was for breakfast. She's always going on about how the two of us need a woman to take care of us and I'd rather not prove her right."

"She's mad," Harry said around a large mouthful of chocolate cake. He truly liked Mrs. Weasley, and she was good whenever he needed any motherly things, which was a rare occurrence. She just never seemed to think he or Sirius could possibly survive without a mother or wife, though she had long given up on hope of Sirius getting married. Harry swallowed. "She's mad," he repeated. "You and I make out all right."

Sirius grinned widely and ruffled Harry's hair. "We certainly do. Ice cream?"

Sirius invited Tika to join them and they had a merry breakfast of chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream. Sirius had taken the day off and Harry was eagerly anticipating a day filled with Quidditch, wrestling and laughter. But it seemed Sirius had one more trick up his sleeve.

Tika and Harry were in the middle of seeing who could stuff the most cake in their mouths, much to Sirius' amusement when the post arrived. This morning, Diomed was accompanied by a beautiful snowy owl. Diomed, as always dropped a number of important looking letters in Sirius' breakfast, but today Sirius ignored them, turning instead to watch Harry. The owl had landed on the table before him. She was flourishing a letter at him, clearly proud of herself for having found the recipient.

Cautiously, Harry took the letter and opened it, surprised to see his father's hasty scrawl.

_Dear Harry,_

_Now when you go off to Hogwarts, you have no excuse not to keep in contact._

_Her name is Hedwig._

_Happy Birthday_

_Love,_

_Your Old Dad_

Harry looked from the letter to the owl to his dad in astonishment. "For me…?" he said, amazed. Hedwig flew up to land on his shoulder and began to nibble fondly at his ear.

"The first of many," Sirius grinned. "_Accio_ presents"

Harry turned and gaped as several large packages came floating into the kitchen. Sirius had certainly out done himself. The gifts included, among others things, a Quidditch set that's trunk was emblazoned with Harry's name, a book on Harry's favourite Quidditch team, Puddlemere United, innumerable boxes of candy and a miniature lion that sat back on its haunches and roared, startling Tika into hysterics.

"Wicked!" Harry grinned, watching as lion stalked the ice cream.

"That's not just any lion," Sirius informed him. "It's a Gryffindor lion."

"A Gryffindor lion?" Harry repeated. "And if I don't get into Gryffindor?"

"You will," Sirius said confidently. "Its in your blood. Now, you've gone and forgotten a present." Sirius handed him a thin, rectangular package.

Harry unwrapped it carefully to reveal a picture of a pretty young woman with long red hair and sparkling green eyes…his own eyes. Harry's breath caught in his throat. "Is this…Mum?" he asked, his voice hushed.

"Yes," said Sirius, his voice sounding slightly nostalgic as he looked down at Lily. "I know I don't keep any photos of her, but it seemed to me you might like one."

"I did," Harry said softly, looking back at the photo. "She was really pretty."

Sirius nodded. "She was even more so in real life. Your mum was one of the most amazing witches I've ever met."

Harry continued staring hungrily at the picture. "Thank you so much, Dad," he whispered. "This is the best birthday ever."

"Psht!" Sirius said carelessly. "The best is yet to come."

--------------

Harry's birthday was the hottest day of the year so far. Harry and Sirius spent most of the afternoon lounging out by the pool, one of Sirius' Muggle indulgences or in the water playing Marco Polo or engaging in full-fledged water fights. Around three o'clock in the afternoon, Sirius pulled himself out of the water and shook himself dry. He slipped on some sandals and pulled a tee shirt over his damp chest.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked curiously, floating on his back.

"Just inside," Sirius said carelessly. "I think I'll invite Tika for a bit."

"She'll refuse," Harry said knowingly.

"Doesn't hurt to ask," Sirius shrugged, disappearing inside.

Harry performed a few laps of breaststrokes, but soon felt the beginnings to boredom. Realizing his dad had been gone for over ten minutes he left the pool. Drying off, he headed inside. "Dad!" he called, though his voice was muffled by the towel over his head.

"Yeah?" Sirius' voice sounded off somewhere to his left.

Harry pulled the towel off of his head and turned to his dad. The room seemed to explode. "SURPRISE!"

Harry's jaw dropped. There were at least thirty people gathered in the kitchen. He recognized most of them as his dad's coworkers whose children had become playmates of Harry's- the Browns, the Patils, the Shacklebolts, Mrs. Finnegan and her son Seamus, Neville Longbottom and his grandmother. Ameila Bones and her niece Susan, as well as Sirius' old bosses, Albus Dumbledore and Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody, and his new boss, Rufus Scrimgeour. Then there was, of course, the entire Weasley clan. Also in the kitchen were the only relatives Sirius would associate with his favourite cousin, Andromeda Tonks and her husband, and their daughter, Nymphadora.

"Surprised?" Sirius grinned.

"Floored," Harry admitted. He didn't have a chance to say much more as the crowd swept him away.

"Harry Birthday, Harry," Ron grinned. "Mum, Sirius and Andromeda have been planning this for ages!"

"Rare of my mum to have a good idea," Nymphadora grumbled, shooting daggers at her mother beneath her long, ice blue bangs. "Probably Uncle Sirius' idea. Your Dad's the greatest, Harry."

"Hey, Nymphadora," greeted Harry. Nymphadora was a good mate, despite being a girl and seven years older.

"How many times to I have to tell you? Call me Tonks!" Nymphadora said hotly.

Harry and Ron exchanged a look and then nodded. Before Tonks could say anything more, Sirius called her away to demonstrate her rare Metamorphmagus talents to Scrimgeour. Molly Weasley took her place. "Your father's determined she be an Auror," clucked Molly. "If she goes off and gets herself killed, I certainly hope he feels responsible!"

Harry smiled up at Mrs. Weasley. She and Sirius never saw eye-to-eye, but they usually were civil to each other for Harry's sake. All of the time spent together planning the party must have caused the slip up. "Are you feeling all right, Harry?" Molly inquired. "You look very thin. Are you eating enough?"

"I get enough," Harry assured her. "The cake for breakfast was really good. Thanks very much."

"For breakfast?" Molly repeated. "He let you eat _cake_ for breakfast? Bless me. What is he thinking?"

Charlie Weasley popping up and asking his mum if he could train to be an Auror with Tonks only worsened Sirius' hazardous situation. Mrs. Weasley swelled drastically and went barging off after Sirius. "Sirius Black! You are free to ruin your relatives' lives, but you stay away from my children!"

"Yes, Molly," Sirius' slightly amused voice sounded over the crowd.

"C'mon," Ron plucked at his sleeve. "The rest of the group is out by the pool."

Harry followed Ron outside where they found Lavender Brown, Seamus Finnegan, Parvati and Padmil Patil, Neville Longbottom and Susan Bones chattering eagerly about Hogwarts and eating Botts' Every Flavour Beans. The conversation momentarily paused so that everyone could wish Harry a happy birthday and then Ron and Harry were pulled into the conversation.

"Apparently there's a poltergeist named Peeves," Lavender was saying, eyes wide. "He's a complete idiot who goes around terrorizing the students."

"George and Fred said to look out for the caretaker's cat," Ron offered helpfully.

"Dad's going to draw me a map with all the passages out of the school…secret ones, I mean," Harry bragged.

"Your Dad is amazing," Parvati marvelled. "And he's quite good-looking."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Don't let _him_ hear you say that!"

"Have you heard about Snape?" inquired Fred Weasley, strolling out on to the patio with his twin, George.

"Snape?" gulped Neville. "Who's that?"

"The Potions Master," answered Fred.

"Vindictive old bat," George sneered.

"Hates his job," Fred explained.

"…and the staff…"

"…the castle…"

"…the grounds…"

"…and the students…"

"…Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws…"

"Hates life in general, actually," Fred smirked.

"Surely not!" Padma said, disbelieving. "You're exaggerating."

"See for yourself," shrugged George.

Harry, who had heard quite enough about Snape from Sirius, jumped in eagerly to abuse him to his fellow students. Meanwhile, from a window on the second floor, Sirius watched his son with a fond smile on his face, as always, happy by the fact that Harry was happy. For a moment, he forgot he was in his study with Albus Dumbledore and Andromeda Tonks. It was only the sound of Dumbledore clearing his throat that brought Sirius back to reality. Dumbledore was seated behind Sirius' desk and Andromeda was lounging in a leather chair Harry usually occupied on the nights Sirius was hard at work. Andromeda had the ridiculously good looks of all Black women, but she was as different from Narcissa and Bellatrix as they were from each other. She had a glossy mane of chestnut brown hair and flashing green eyes that could fire in a temper to match Sirius'. She had been in Slytherin, but in Sirius' opinion, was a Gryffindor at heart.

Sirius' grinned brightly at them. "He's enjoying himself, isn't he?" he bragged. "I told you I'd give him the best childhood money and love can buy, Dumbledore."

Andromeda smiled sympathetically at Sirius. He caught her look and felt a sudden looming doom. Dumbledore fixed his most piercing stare on Sirius', who could almost feel his hackles rising. "He _has_ had a very good childhood," Dumbledore agreed. "But that time ends now. Its time he knows, Sirius."

"Knows?" questioned Sirius. "You don't mean…about the prophecy?"

"Oh, no," Dumbledore said hastily. "He is far too young for that. I meant, his true parentage. If he is going to Hogwarts, he must know about James."

"No!" exploded Sirius. "Never! Fine way to celebrate your eleventh birthday! _Sorry, kid, I've lied to you your entire life. I'm actually not your father!"_

"Then don't tell him today," Dumbledore said simply. "Tell him tomorrow, or next week. But he must know and soon."

"I'm not telling him," Sirius disagreed. "What would that help?"

"He has a right to know," Dumbledore pointed out.

"Listen to me very carefully, Albus Dumbledore," Sirius said heatedly. "You've had your way in the wizarding world for as long as I can remember, but never with me. Just because you're his Headmaster does not mean you have charge of my son!"

"He's not your son," Andromeda interrupted, speaking for the first time. "He is Lily and James Potter's son!

"His last name is Black," Sirius snapped. "He is my son! My son! Harry Black."

"He will never be a Black," Andromeda argued, eyes flashing dangerously. "He is not of the blood. The tapestry will never recognize him!"

"Sod the tapestry!" roared Sirius. "Do you think an old ratty tapestry can tell the difference between a Black and a Malfoy, so long as they're pureblood?"

"Maybe not," Dumbledore allowed. "But it can certainly recognize a Potter from a Black. Maybe the problem here is not that Harry is a Potter. Maybe it is because you are a Black."

"You don't have a clue what I am," growled Sirius.

"Keeping James' son in your charge won't change your heritage," Dumbledore barged on. "Taking care of James' son won't bring James back, no matter how much Harry looks like…"

"Shut up," Sirius said harshly.

"Do you think you can hide Harry here forever? He has to kill Voldemort or die trying!"

"If you say one more word, Dumbledore," Sirius threatened.

"No matter how stoically you ignore it, the fact remains," Dumbledore said insistently. "He is not, never was and never will be your-"

"I LOVE HIM LIKE A SON!" roared Sirius. "That's all that should matter."

Dumbledore and Andromeda stared, transfixed at Sirius. It was Andromeda who first spoke. "Its all that _should_ matter," she agreed. "But you've seen enough of the world to know that's not how the world works. Tell him, Sirius. _Please."_

"I-" A knock on the door interrupted Sirius. He went over to the door and opened it to reveal Harry.

"What are you doing in here?" Harry asked curiously.

"Oh, not much," shrugged Sirius. "Boring Ministry business that can certainly wait until after your birthday. Have you had some cake?"

"I had a piece about ten minutes ago," Harry answered.

Sirius put his arms around Harry's shoulder and steered him back to the part. "Well, then its high time for another, don't you think?" The door swung shut on Harry describing one of the Weasley twins' joke.

Andromeda looked over at Dumbledore, frowning. "He's not going to tell him." It was not a question.

"Not a chance," agreed Dumbledore heavily. "I've always said talking sense to Sirius Black is like talking Divination to Minerva McGonagall. You can stand there and talk _at_ them for nigh on an hour, but absolutely nothing will penetrate."

"Does he think it will be any easier the longer he waits?" Andromeda asked helplessly. "Anyone can see it will only get harder."

"Oh, he knows well enough," Dumbledore said assuredly. "He just doesn't care. Sirius has never been known for listening to logic over what his heart tells him."

"True enough," nodded Andromeda.

"I only hope he doesn't wait too long," Dumbledore frowned. "It would be a disaster if Harry found out from someone other than Sirius."

"It's a disaster anyways," Andromeda sighed. "Poor Sirius."

"Poor Sirius?" repeated Dumbledore, raising a sceptical eyebrow. "Poor Harry."

-------------

The sun was setting on Diagon Alley by the time Sirius and Harry had completed their school shopping. As they exited _Ollivanders_, Harry shot a furtive look at his godfather who was striding purposefully, not towards The Leaky Cauldron, but to the wizard bank, Gringotts. They had not visited the bank that morning, Sirius putting everything on charge to his account. Mr. Ollivander's ominous words as he handed Harry the wand holding the same core as Voldemort's, were still ringing in Harry's head.

Sirius had been absolutely furious with Ollivander, leading Harry to make the shrewd guess that there was something his father was concealing from him. He quickened his pace to catch up. "Dad…what did Ollivander mean by that?" he asked, trying to keep his voice low.

"By what?" Sirius asked, feigning ignorance.

"Hmm…let me think…" Harry said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Sirius sighed as they began to mount the broad steps up to the snowy white building that over-towered all of Diagon Alley. "I'm not sure, kid," he admitted. "Its entirely possible he was just trying to get more excitement out of his day than memorizing his history of sales."

"You don't believe that," Harry contradicted softly.

Sirius halted and turned to look down on his son. "Maybe not," he agreed. "But all I can tell you, is that nothing can happen to you while I'm here."

Harry shot his dad a grin that was stronger than he felt. "Well, I knew that. I was just curious."

Sirius fixed him with one last, long look before shrugging and made his way towards the bank. Harry had only been in Gringotts once or twice, and as always, he found himself completely overwhelmed by the sheer monstrosity of the bank and the appearance of the ferocious goblins. Sirius, of course, was completely unfazed, walking with his usually confident stride. Harry noticed, however, that it was slowly to prevent Harry from falling back. Sirius deftly made his way through the swarming masses, pulling Harry along in his wake. It was not long before they were in front of a pair of silver doors with the rather infamous and threatening message engraved in them.

A pair of goblins, dressed in red and gold bowed low to them. "Good day, Mr. Black," said one respectively. Harry knew goblins could be quite harsh with some customers, but they were quite respectful to their best customers. And after inheriting the entire Black fortune, Sirius was quite the customer, even without the hefty pay check for being one of the most sought after and accomplished Aurors.

Sirius nodded to the goblins and the silver doors swung open. Harry would have liked to walk slowly through the bank and gape at the hundreds of goblins working behind their tall desks, or perhaps sneak through one of the many doors to look around. He was not given the chance, however. Sirius plucked at his sleeve and led him down to a goblin behind his desk at the very head of the hall. He seemed very busy, writing hastily in his ledger. He immediately ceased work and closed the book when Sirius stopped in front of the desk.

"Yes?" he snapped, not looking up.

"Hello, Dragonclaw," Sirius said amusedly.

The goblin jumped and looked up, mouth wide. "Oh, good day, Mr. Black," he said oily. "Forgive my rudeness, I thought you were one of the goblins come to irritate me."

"You mean, someone who does not have millions of Galleons in his safe?" Sirius smirked. "I'd make an awfully tall goblin."

"You do tease us so, Mr. Black," Dragonclaw laughed forcibly.

"Just trying to brighten your tasking day," Sirius said dryly. "I'll be brief so you can get back to your ledgers."

"I always have time for one of our favourite customers," Dragonclaw smiled. Harry wondered if it was as painful as it looked.

"Oh, cut the niceties, Dragonclaw," Sirius advised, looking rather amused. "I know you can't stand me. Save the arse kissing for Lucius Malfoy. He'll undoubtedly enjoy it. I'm just here to do my business."

The smile on the goblin's face immediately vanished and he opened up his ledgers and recommenced writing. "What do you want, Black?" he snarled, his tone much less greasy. "Do be quick about it. Some of us actually have work to do. We don't make millions by getting in the occasional bar brawl!"

Sirius smiled widely. "I haven't been in a bar brawl for ten years and I didn't get paid for those!"

"As entertaining as stories of your youth are, perhaps you did not understand why I told you to make it quick," Dragonclaw sneered.

Sirius laughed out loud. He lounged casually against the desk. "You know, you are probably my favourite goblin in the entire world," Sirius laughed.

"And you are undoubtedly my least favourite person in the entire world," Dragonclaw retorted. "Now, what do you want?"

Sirius stifled a grin. "I've come to collect a parcel for Albus Dumbledore from vault seven hundred and thirteen." He slipped a hand in his jacket pocket and pulled out a sealed envelope, then handed it to Dragonclaw.

The goblin broke the seal and read it over several times, glaring at Sirius suspiciously between sentences. When he could find nothing wrong with it, he snapped his fingers, summoning a goblin that looked underpaid, overworked and underfed. "Go and retrieve the contents from vault seven hundred and thirteen and bring it back here immediately."

"Shouldn't I go with him?" Sirius asked.

"No, I don't think that's necessary," Dragonclaw snarled. "You and your filthy brood might try and nick something shiny on the way back."

Sirius roared with laughter, which only infuriated Dragonclaw further. "C'mon, kid," Sirius grinned, laying a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Let's wait over here."

They took their seats in a roped off waiting area. Sirius was clearly restless, drumming his hands on his knees. Harry finally grew weary of the constant distraction and grabbed his father's hands. Immediately he started tapping his feet. "What is with you?" Harry demanded. "What are we picking up?"

"Can't tell you," Sirius answered apologetically. "Just understand that it's quite important."

Harry didn't bother to press the subject. With a father whose ranking was high in the Ministry, he had come to accept that there were things Sirius was never going to be able to tell him. And pushing the subject only seemed to irritate his father. Even as these thoughts ran through his head, an almost bashful looking Dragonclaw approached them. Harry's eyes, sharp from long games of Quidditch in the minor leagues playing Seeker, noticed immediately he wasn't carrying anything.

"Where is it?" Sirius demanded, obviously having made the same observation.

Dragonclaw muttered something completely incomprehensible. "Excuse me?" Sirius asked. Harry glanced over at his father. He was practically radiating a dangerous anger. Dragonclaw clearly sensed it as well, shaking on the spot.

"It…it's gone…" he stuttered.

"Gone?" Sirius repeated, his voice razor sharp. "What do you mean _gone_? Well…for how long?"

"I don't know!" wailed Dragonclaw. "The Stone has been in the vault for five years."

"And you never thought to check on it?" Sirius demanded.

"We open the vaults once every ten years," Dragonclaw explained feebly.

"Well, a hell of a lot of good that's going to do me!" Sirius roared. Before Harry could make any move to stop him, he lashed out and swung a rather strong punch at Dragonclaw. The goblin went soaring and landed in a heap in the middle of the bank.

Sirius paid him no more attention. "C'mon, Harry," he said, his face darker than Harry could ever remember. "I have to get home and Floo Dumbledore."

"Dad…Dad what does this mean?" Harry asked, feeling afraid as he tried to keep up with his father's long strides.

"Nothing good, Harry," Sirius answered vaguely. "And probably more trouble than we're capable of dealing with."


End file.
